Can't Stop Thinking Of You
by iSPAZZMACHiiN3
Summary: Pale arms drapped around her shoulders, attempting to comfort her as she glided her fingers over the keys. A melancholy sound filled the once hollow room, reminding her of him. Sliver eyes stared as the tears glittered down her face. Ryoma x OC
1. Chapter o1

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite the first few chapters, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen. Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter one : Home

* * *

_The crowd clapped as a girl with long curly blond hair stood up and bowed, she straighted herself up as soon as the noise died down. She scanned the audience with her emerald eyes. She gave a small smile and walked off with her violin._

A soft sigh escaped her rosy plumped lips as she stared out the window, the clouds were looking extremely beautiful from her view. She recalled her memory, that day had to be the day she knew she'd never regret. She rolled her shoulders back and leaned into the comfort of the chair. A sudden of bell chimes were heard as the intercom was used,

"**Passengers, please fasten your seat belt. The air plane shall be landing soon at the airport. **" Hikari secured herself with her seat belt and turned her head to see the view once again, though this time the land started to approach, a soft smiled was transparent on her face.

After Hikari had exited the plane, she looked around for anyone that resembled a middle aged man; brown hair, tan skinned, and blue sapphire eyes. She didn't carry any luggage with her, seeing as though it was sent to Japan a few days before she even arrived. A slight frown was present on her face as she scanned the crowd, she dipped her hands into her pocket to retrieve her wallet. She looked around for the nearest foreign exchange office. She quickly walked towards it, avoiding people as best as she can, she exchanged 12.4 pounds into 1807.5 yen. She then took out a piece of paper out from her pocket and proceeded to the nearest phone booth. After dialing some numbers, the phone began to connect to the other,

"Hello, Tezuka Kunihimu speaking." Hikari almost face palmed herself.

"Oi, uncle. Weren't you suppose to pick me up? What was the point of sending me a few days after your arrival in Japan?" A nervous laugh was heard on the other line,

"Gomen gomen, Hikari-chan. Remember when I told you after you arrive we were going to go to the Kakinokizaka Garden Tennis Tournament, it shouldn't be be too far from the airport. In fact, the train station is near by, just take the 24a train and stop at the Kakinokizaka Garden, remember to go to the north exit. I got to go now, Ja ne!" the last few sentences were said all together in a fast pace. Hikari scowled and looked around for an information boot, She walked up and saw the worker.

"Excuse me, do you know where the nearest train station that takes you to K-Kakinokizaka Garden?" Hikari hoped her Japanese wasn't rusty. The worker nodded and told her the directions.

- **& - **

Hikari looked out the window, slightly leaned to the right as the train moved. She tried her best to ignore the loud highschoolers as they chatted about tennis grips. There was a sudden bump on the train, causing something to drop.

"-that's the correct western grip,"  
"Huh?"

"The handshake grip is the eastern grip, it's okay though, There are some that mix them up." Hikari tilted her head to get a better view at the scene. Her first view was the source of the voice, Hikari barely got to see much but a white cap and red sweater.

"Kakinokizaka Gardens." HIkari got up and exited the train. She looked around seeing signs that said North, South, East, West exits. Hikari slightly cursed under her breath as she tried to recall what exit she was suppose to go through. She sighed and walked around in circles a few times, before spotting a girl standing by a pillar. She was probably around her age, though she was a few inches taller. She had wide brown eyes and peaced colored skin, with long brown hair that was neatly braided into two. Hikari walked up to her,

"Excuse me, do you know which exit leads to the Kakinokizaka Garden Tennis Tournaments?" The girl blinked in surprise and pointed her finger,

"You were on the train!" Hikari stared at her, quite puzzled.

"So, where is it?" The girl looked down and blushed.

"South exit, go straight down," Hikari nodded her head and walked off,

"**Thank you,**" the girl blinked in surprise at the foreign words. She stood there fore a few minutes, until a slightly old lady walked up to her.

"You're late!" the lady sheepishly grinned,

"Sorry Sakuno," the lady ushered her to walk.

"Isn't the south exit for the tournament?" The lady shook her head,

"No. Let's hurry! We're already missed a few matches." Sakuno's eyes widened.

"Eh!? I gave them the wrong directions!" She walked to the exit with her grandma, looking around.

"Are you looking for something?" Sakuno stared up at her.

"What happens if you're late to a match?"

"You default, meaning disqualification." A gasped escaped her lips as she ran back to the south exit.

"Hey! Where are you going- Eh, is that you Kunihimu?"

- **& -**

Hikari walked around confused,

' I don't see any tournaments going on.' She sighed and looked up, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. She suddenly tripped over something and fell on something soft and warm. Hikari felt her nose touch something, hearing a grunt and she opened her eyes to see golden eyes staring back at her. She widened her eyes and froze in position, unsure of what to do. He narrowed his eyes,

"Get out of my face." His voice was cool and smooth, Hikari didn't detect any malice in his tone even though his words were harsh, he seemed rather unease.

'Probably the fact that I haven't got off of him...' Hikari got off of him and blushed, she stared at him. He had black hair that seemed almost green, his hair had covered his forehead; slightly covering the top of his eyes. A white cap with a red R letter covered his head from the beaming sun. His eyes were a beautiful hazel color, almost gold. He's slightly tan skin was covered his a red jacket and black shorts that reached his knees. He had white tennis shoes that matched the outfit in total. Hikari leaned her hands back nervously and felt she landed on something, she looked down to see a black tennis bag. She quickly got off it,

"Do you know where the Kakinokizaka Garden Tennis Tournament is?" The guy slowly looked up at her with a stoic face,

"It's in the North exit." His voice was nonchalant or rather bored, he closed his eyes and Hikari just stared at him,

"E-Excuse me, did you make it on time?" Hikari turned and saw the same girl from before.

"I'm so sorry about giving you two the wrong directions!" The girl bowed, blushing.

"It's my fault." The boy sat up,

"You're right," He turned to Hikari and looked back at the girl,

"You made her lost too, so it's double your fault." The girl looked down as Hikari stared at the blunt boy in disbelief. The girl suddenly perked up,

"Hey, are you thristy?!"

"Huh?"

- **& - **

The noise of three juice cans had been produced after the hazel eye boy pushed the buttons. He grabbed the cans and passed it to the girls. The girl looked down at her drink,

"I'm sorry I didn't bring any change..." Hikari sat down on the middle of the wooden bench and stared at her drink,

'Grape Ponta.'

"Thank you for saving me on the train," Hikari looked up and saw the two had sat next to her. The guy took a sip of his drink as the girl fidgeted with her drink.

"From what?" She looked up in surprise,

"If you hadn't stepped in, I would've been hit." Hikari tilted her head, remembering that the girl claimed she was on the train.

"You were on the same train?" The girl turned to him surprise, he took a sip out of his drink and stared back at her.

"Where did you sit?" Hikari shifted slightly awkward by having to be in between the stares.

"Right across from you..." The guy looked away,

"Hmph, whatever. I just told them to shut up because they were loud." An empty can flew by their heads,

"Sorry for being so loud." Hikari turned to see some high schoolers.

"Looks like he just lost and is ready to leave." One of the three boys pointed his racket at the hazel eyed boy.

"I'm in the under 16 tournament, You told me to shut up? I dare you to say it again?" He lowered his racket to see a fierce stare coming from the boy, he began to scowl.

"I don't like that look of yours, it's too early for a kid like you to talk to me about tennis. You brat!" A startled gasp was heard as the older boy swung his racket down towards the white capped boy.

There was a silence that began to build up tense as the two boys stared at eachother, daring the other to make another move,

"Hey, let's go." The braided hair sighed in relief as the group of high schoolers turned ot walk off. The hazel eyed boy bent down and picked up the empty can, throwing it in the trash can.

"Hey, remember the grips yet?" They turned around and stared at the boy,

"What?" The boy smirked,

"If not, I'll teach you what tennis is all about." The guy with the racket scowled,

"Why you-" His friend tugged on his sleeve.

"Sasabe, you still have your matches." He grinned,

"This will just be a warm up."

- **& - **

Everyone was at the tennis court; the white capped boy tied his shoes, the braided hair girl fidgetted nervously.

"Maybe we should stop this..." Hikari watched as the boy shook his head,

"I came all the way for this, it'd be stupid if I go back without playing a match." The girl stared at the boy as he finished tying his shoes. He unzipped his jacket and threw

it to Hikari,

"Hold this for me." Hikari blinked in surprise but held it in her hands anyways.

"The best of one match, Sasabe to serve."

"You're okay with no referee? We'll self judge."

"Sure." Sasabe smugly smiled,

"Don't worry, I'll give you a handicap." Sasabe served it with an under hand, the boy's face turned very serious as he returned the ball,

"Play seriously!" Everyone stared in awe at the speed,

"Love-15." Sasabe scoffed,

"I wasn't serious." Hikari dug her long nails into the jacket, yet she could still feel the sharpness from her finger nails. She recalled a memory but pushed it away as she heard a voice,

"So this is where you ran off too." Hikari turned to see a slightly old lady in a magenta gymsuit. She then saw a man,

"Uncle! Where were you?" The man turned to her,

"Hikari-chan, I was at the tournament." Hikari shook her head as the old lady smiled a the braided hair girl,

"This is interesting." The girl frantically tugged on the lady's sleve.

"Grandma! We have to stop this, one thing led to another and now he's facing against high schoolers!" Hikari looked back at the game,

"Urusei! Anyone can ace an underhand serve!" The hazel eye boyed stared at him with an impassive look on his face.

"There are those that uses excuses for losing." Sasabe scowled and serve.

"There it goes! Sasabe's bullet serve." The boy ran towards the ball and smirked,

"Too slow." Sasabe barely managed to rally against him.

"He's fast! He's already at the net." Sasabe scowled,

"Love-30." Sasabe looked at his friend,

"I know! Stop counting." The lady in the magenta gymsuit smiled smugly,

"This is just a tip of the ice burg." The girl turned to her grandma.

"You know him?" She nodded with her arms crossed,

"Didn't I tell you? He's the prince of tennis."

"Huh?"

"Echizen Ryoma, 13 years. He won 4 straight junior tournaments in the U.S, also known as a prodigy."

"Four straight!?"

"No fluke in that."

"Love-40." Hikari stared at Ryoma.

"He's the son of one of the families returning to Japan, I told him that if was that strong he should play in the under-14 tournament. But he said he'd play in the under 16,

what a guy..."

"Game won by Echizen." Sasabe's friend gaped at Ryoma in disbelief.

"Sasabe lost his service game..." Ryoma tipped his hat and took out a ball,

"You're going to appear in the finals, right? Let's end this quicky." Ryoma served the ball,

"15-love." Sasabe tighted his grip on the racket and narrowed his eyes. Sasabe ran towards the net as Ryoma served again, he returned the ball.

"15-15." Sasabe smugly smirked,

"What's wrong brat? Where's all the energy from before?"

"30-40." Sasabe served and ran up towards the net as Ryoma returned it with a high lob.

"It's just like Ryoma Echizen to overcome the height difference." Sasabe looked back,

"Out." Hikari narrowed her eyes at Sasabe, making him grin more.

"Too bad, it was this close. However your girlfriend seems to differ." The braided hair girl gasped,

"The ball was in for sure!" Her grandma shook her head,

"This is self judged, he has the right to call out." Ryoma looked at him impassively. The two began to rally again. Ryoma hit back towards the base line, Sasabe smirked.

'Baka. I'm only going to call it out again.' Sasabe turned around and stared at the ball as it spun on the floor and stayed just barely touching the baseline. Ryoma smirked,

"Hey, was that in?" Sasabe turned around and growled.

"Game won by Echizen. 2 - 0"

"Game won by Echizen. 3 - 0"

"Game won by Echizen. 4 - 0" Royma hit the ball up high, Sasabe scowled as he jumped up high, knowing that he wouldn't reach it. He looked back down at Ryoma's cocky face.

"Damn!" He raised his arm and threw his racket at Ryoma.

Ryoma fell to the ground with both knees and hands on the ground, his black-green hair had been full revealed as his white cap layed a few feet away from him.

"Ryoma-kun, Are you okay!?" Hikari's eyes widened as she tightened her grip on his jacket, she watched as the girl ran towards Ryoma with a hanker chief in her hand. He

frowned and pushed her hand away,

"Don't come onto the court during a game." She gasped as he bent down to grab his hat,

"Your grip is weak, Mada Mada Dane." Hikari frowned as she saw the blood dripped from his forehead to his chin. Ryoma served the ball, it hit the ground and bounced

towards Sasabe's face, just narrowly missing it.

"15-love." Hikari stared at Ryoma, his voice was dripped in venom as he bounced the ball and served again. This time, the ball had hit Sasabe's face,

"30-love." Everyone stared as Sasabe fell to the ground,

"Twist serve- was that the Twist serve?!" Ryoma grabbed another ball out of his pocket and for the next to serves, he ruthlessly hit him in the face with the ball. Ryoma looked at him with a glare,

"Go to hell." Sasabe gasped and went into a fetal position.

"Stop!" The ball passed him as Ryoma blankly stared at him. The old lady scoffed and crossed her arms,

"Baka." The braided hair girl cheered,

"Ryoma-kun won!" Sasabe stood back up,

"I wasn't playing seriously! I can beat you in another set." His friends shook their heads,

"Give it up Sasabe." Ryoma stared at him,

"It's fine with me, if you wanna play another set. " Ryoma switched his racket to his left hand,

"Don't you get it? You can't beat Ryoma Echizen no matter how hard you try." The lady smirked as Ryoma grabbed another ball,

"What do you mean?" Ryoma served the ball, with much more power and accuracy. Sasabe stepped back in fear,

"I-I quit!" Kunihimu tapped Hikari's shoulder with his cell phone in his hands.

"We have to go, the matches for the under - 30 just ended, I have to go congratulate the winner since Chihoko Inc. sponsored it." HIkari nodded as Ryoma walked to get his bag, Hikari handed him his jacket and left. The braided hair girl tugged on her grandma's sleeve,

"Do you know her too?"

"Yes, Tezuka Hikari." Ryoma packed his bag and zipped up his jacket, remembering the name of the girl who held it for him.

'Tezuka Hikari...' Ryoma turned to walk off,

"Ryoma, tell your father I said hi." Ryoma nodded and continued to walk. The lady laughed,

"That kid, what a monster. Things will definitely get interesting." The braided hair tugged on her hand,

"Let's go, ano. Can you tell me about her on the way?" She laughed and nodded as she walked,

"Tezuka Hikari, 12 years old. Lived in Japan until she retrieved a full scholarship to Royal Academy. She won serveral music awards for her orginal music peices. She recently moved back to Japan."

"Honto ne!? Sugoi!"

- **& -**

Hikari walked up to the front gates of her new home with Kunihimu. She entered and saw the garden flourishing in it's brightest colors. She walked inside the large house, she saw a maid pass by as Kunihimu asked her if she wanted dinner. She shook her head,

"No thank you, Jet lag is catching up to me." She walked into her room and feel asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Kunihimu chuckled as he ate his Wagyu steak,

' I hope she realizes what kind of school she's going to attend too...'


	2. Chapter o2

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

**Japanese school system are different. The pattern goes like,**

**Kindergarden  
Elementary school - Ages Six to Twelve.  
Junior High School - Ages Twelve to Fifteen  
Senior High School - Ages Fifteen to Eighteen  
University - Eighteen and up.**

**Students don't switch around to classes, the teachers do, the only time students would move around is gym and at lunch. However I think kids usually walk around or eat in the classroom.**

School years are divided into a "Tri-mester system.", which is a three term school year.

**First Term - April 1 to Mid July  
Break - Summer  
Second Term - Early September to late December  
Break - Winter  
Thrid Term - January to March.  
Break - Spring**

Also when in a new classroom, the teacher askes the students to introduce themselves and say some things about themselves, it's a tradition kind of thing.

**Vocab**

**(insert name)-kun: It's a friendlier suffix, mainly used on guys.  
(insert name)-san: It's a suffix used for respect on people you don't know. I think it's kind of like Ms. or Mr.  
(insert name)-chan: Its' a friendlier suffix, mainly used on girls.  
(insert name)-sama: It's a suffix to adress someone with ALOT of respect.  
(insert name)-senpai: It's a suffix used by an under classmen to show respect for an uperclassmen.  
(Insert name)-sensei: It's a suffix used for teachers.  
First name is usually used with a lover, close friends, or family members.  
Oka- Mom.  
Otou- Dad.  
Aniki- Older brother.  
Imouto- Younger sister.  
Obaa- Grandma.  
Oji- Grandpa.  
Mada Mada Dane: You still have a long ways to go.  
Sugoi: Cool, awesome.  
Betsuni: Nothing.  
Ano: Um.  
Ganguro: It's a style on japanese girls, it's based on Californian girls; tan skins, blonde hair, etc. The fashion, a deep tan is combined with hair dyed in shades of orange to blonde, or a silver grey known as "high bleached". Black ink is used as eye-liner and white concealer is used as lipstick and eyeshadow. False eyelashes, plastic facial gems, and pearl powder are often added to this**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Two : Seishun Gakuen

* * *

"Rise and shine, Hikari-san!" Hikari groaned and hid her face under the pillow.

"Hikari-san, today's your first day of school." Hikari shot up out of her bed to see a maid.

"School? What time is it!?" Hikari stumbled to stand up straight as the maid giggled and made her her bed.

"You still have an hour till school starts." Hikari nodded and ran into the bathroom.

**- & -**

Kunihimu sat at the table, drinking his coffee with a plate of omelets in front of him,

"Ahh!" Hikari tripped over her foot as she walked into the dining room. He rose an eyebrow at her as she sat down across from him and took a sip of her freshly squeezed orange juice.

"This uniform is sea green." Kunihimi watched as she tugged at the pink bow,

"Is this bow really necessary?" He chuckled,

"School starts at 7:25, it's best if you go now." Hikari checked the clock,

"Why? It's only 6:50."

"You're walking to school." A maid handed Hikari a paper,

"It's not too far from here, just follow the directions from the paper and you'll be just fine." Hikari sighed and punched the bridge of her nose, just not too hard so her nails wouldn't make a mark on her face.

"What school am I attending to?"

"Seishun Gakuen, also known as Seigaku."

- **& -**

Hikari tugged on her school uniform and tennis bag as she saw school up ahead,

"Why did uncle make me take this bag?" she moved her hair that had fallen off from her pigtails. She walked by students that chatted with eachother on what they did over

break. Cherry blossums flew around as Hikari entered the school. She walked into the front office to see a middle age lady sitting at her desk.

"Excuse me?" The lady looked up with a stoic face,

"How may I help you?"

"I arrived from Europe, and so I didn't come early enough to get my time tables." The lady nodded as she looked through her file cabinets, she pulled out a piece of paper.

"Here you go, Tezuka Hikari." Hikari thanked her and walked around,

'Where the hell is classroom 1 - 2?' The warning bell chimed as she reached to the classroom that said 1 - 2. She walked inside to see students already there, The last bell

chimed as Hikari sat in the seat nearest to the window.

"Welcome freshmen, I hope you'll enjoy your first year at Segiaku, my name is Nazimaka-sensei. I'm your homeroom teacher. Let's all introduce ourselfs-" Hikari looked

down at her time table,

' Home room, English, Math, History, Biology, Lunch-' Her thoughts were cut off as an impatient voice was heard,

"Excuse me, what's your name?" Hikari looked up to see class staring at her,

"Tezuka Hikari." The teacher stared at her, waiting for her to continue. Seeing as it was a Japanese tradition to do so,

"I lived in Japan, but moved to Europe, I recently came back." Hikari sat down as the Teacher picked the person behind her,

"Nashi-san?" He looked at the girl,

"Do you play any sports?" Hikari shook her head.

"Alright, you can sit down." Hikari sat down as the teacher called on another student, the bell rang and the teacher left. A new teacher arrived,

"Hello, I'm your English teacher-" Hikari tuned her out and looked out the window with a bored face.

- **& **-

Sakuno walked around trying to return the wrong science books, it was her first day of school and she was already running errands. Sakuno tripped and dropped her books,

"Well, what do we have here? A freshman." Sakuno looked up to see a group of upper class men.

- **& **-

Hikari walked around, hoping she could find her way back to class from the bathroom.

"Ha! You scrawny freshman." Hikari turned to see a girl get pushed by a group of ganguro girls. Hikari teared a school flyer from the wall and crumbled it up. She looked at the girl with ping highlights and threw it at her head, it got silent as the only sound heard was the paper ball hitting the ground. The bleached haired girl with pink highlights turned around,

"Who did that?!" She looked at Hikari, Hikari stared at her back,

"Look, you little bit-" Hikari yawned and waved her hand,

"Gomen, gomen. My hand slipped." The girl fumed at Hikari's nonchalant tone and stepped up towards Hikari,

"Is there a problem here?" Everyones head turned to a boy, he had light brown hair that covered his forehead, His eyes were closed and he had a soft smile on his face.

The girl stepped back,

"F-Fuji-sama!" Hikari raised an eyebrow at Fuji's smile, Fuji raised his pale hand.

"T-there's no problem." Hikari scoffed and walked pass the stuttering girl,

"Ja ne, _Senpai_." She widened her smirk as she head an angry gasp.

- **& **-

Ryoma walked to the school roof as the lunch bell rang, he laid down on the roof and closed his eyes. He placed his hand on his pocket to get out his time table, fishing around he found nothing. Losing his time tables wasn't what he wanted to do on his first day of school, he sighed and got up to walk around. He walked down the stairs wit his eyes closed and his hands in his pocket. He felt a small breeze pass by him, he opened his eyes and turned to see a blond blur pass by and walk through the door to the roof. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk.

Hikari closed the door and sat down, opening her lunch box to see fish and rice. She took out her fork and spoon,

"Itadakimasu." She dug into her food.

- **& **-

The school bell chimed as Hikari walked out towards the tennis courts. She walked into the girls locker room and waited in line to get her locker number and combination.

"Oi, Echizen." Ryoma turned around to see a boy with a uni brow and brown hair,

"You're Echizen from my class right? Are you joining the tennis club?" Ryoma stared at him.

"Who are you?" The boy flashed a smile,

"I'm Horio, and this school is famous for it's tennis. There are tons of strong players, even though I look like this, I have two years of tennis experience. I also went to

tennis school, becoming a regular isn't a dream either-" Ryoma walked away with his eyes closed

"Hey! Echizen, wait up!" Horio ran after him,

"Opps." Ryoma opened his eyes and looked up at the guy with black spiky hair and violet eyes.

"If you don't look where you're going, you'll hit someone." The guy's eye trailed to Ryoma's tennis bag.

"That's a big bag you're carrying." The smile on his face began to drop as he noticed Ryoma's stare,

"I don't like you look, since you're a freshman I'll ignore it this time." The guy left and Ryoma continued to walk to the boy's locker room.

- **& **-

Hikari changed into her white tennis clothes, a white polo and white tennis skirt. She closed her locker and turned around to see the ganguro girls from before.

"You were lucky that Fuji-sama was there. This time, you're not so lucky." Hikari stared at them and walked away,

"Oi, Come back he-" Hikari walked out the door and shifted her shoulder to adjust the weight of her white tennis bag as she walked to the tennis courts.

"-are you guys joining our tennis club?" Hikari slowed down and listened by,

"I'm Katsuo, a freshman." a bowl cut haired boy said,

"Kachiro Katuo." The buzz cut boy said after with a smile. Then a unibrow boy with brown hair smugly smiled,

"I'm Horio, It's an honor to join the tennis club that is this famous. I have two years of tennis experience." Hikari raised her eyebrow as one of the juniors turned to a boy leaning againt the fence.

"You over there, what's your name?" The boy stayed quiet,

"Bastard! Can you hear me!?" His friend put a hand on his shoulder,

"It's okays. Hey, we know a good game, wanna try it? Rules are simple. you serve and try to hit the can in ten tries, the prize is 10,000 yen." The tree boys gaped,

"W-What?"

"It's like a sign up ritual, try out fees are 200 yen."

"Of course we'll try," The two juniors looked at each other and smirked.

- **& **-

Hikari watched as the two, Kachiro and Katsuom fail at trying to hit the can. Horio then walked in front of them,

"I. Horio, with two years of experience will now try!"

Hikari watched as Horio continuously served and missed.

"Hey, Hey. Just one more try left." Horio groaned as he served,

"You can't hit it even in one hundred tries! " The ball flew, a few centimeters away from the can. Hikari narrowed her eyes,

' The wind should've knocked the can down.." The junior got of the chair,

"Too bad." Horio sheepishly rubbed his head,

"It was difficult after all. So tryout fees were 200 yen?" The three fished their pockets as the two juniors smirked,

"Maybe you misunderstood. The game is five hundred yen per ball, the try out fees were 200. All together it's 5,200 yen, in total of 15,600 yen." The three gasped in surprise,

"What?! We don't have that kind of money," one of the juniors turned to the boy leaning on the fence.

"Hey shorty! Wanna give it a try?" The boy looked up with his hazel eyes shining,

"Sure. I'll do it." He got off the fence and walked over, Hikari felt a jolt, the voice was familiar.

"Don't do it!" The boy tipped his hat,

"You can't hit it if you went directly at the can."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The boy smirked,

"There are rocks in there, right?" The boy served the ball, hitting it right at the lid.

"Sugoi! He hit the top of the can with pinpoint accuracy!" The lid popped opened from the impact, causing the rocks to fall out.

"That's so dirty!" The boy fished out another tennis ball and hit the can again,

"If I hit it a hundred times, would you give me one million yen?" The juniors scowled,

"How can you use that tone to a junior?!" Hikari blinked in surprise as a yellow neon blur passed by her.

"Oh, I hit it. Lucky!~" Hikari looked at the guy in front of her, yellow shirt and purple racket with spiky black hair.

"Hey Arai, you can't bully the freshmens just because the regulars aren't here."

"Momo something came up, We gotta go." The two scrambled oiff as the boy turned to walk off. Momo looked at him with a smile,

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Huh? Ryoma-kun? Hikari-chan?" Hikari turned around to see two girls. One with a mole and two short pigtails, and the other one with two long braids. The girl with the mole tugged on the other girls arm,

"You know him? Let's go!" The two walked pass Hikari and towards the boy. Hikari stared with an eyebrow raised by walked inside the court towards the fence and leaned

on it.

"This is Echizen Ryoma, and the girl over there is Tezuka Hikari." Hikari widened her eyes as Momo turned to Ryoma,

"Heh, so you're Echizen Ryoma? You're much smaller than I expected. Hrmm, I didn't know Buchou had a cousin attending here..." Ryoma just stared,

"Who are you?" Momo grinned,

"Takeshi Momoshiro, sophomore. Heard you knew the twist serve,"

"What about it?"

"I wanna play a game. I'll crush you." Sakuno walked towards Hikari with a slight smile,

"Thanks for saving me from those junior girls...It was a surprise to see you again!" Hikari looked at her,

"Who are you?" The short pigtail girl grabbed Sakuno's arm and got closer towards the game.

"You can serve first, I wanna see the twist serve." Horio stepped up,

"Can I be umpire?" Momoshiro shrugged his shoulders,

"Sure." Horio grinned and sat in the chair,

"The game between Takeshi Momoshiro and Echizen Ryoma will now began." The short pigtailed girl pointed her finger to him.

"Get on with the game!" Horio scowled,

"Echizen to serve." Ryoma served and the ball hit the net.

"Fault." Momoshiro frowned,

"No slice serves, I want the twist serve." Ryoma stared at him,

"No." Momoshiro raised an eyebrow,

"Arragont brat." Ryoma served and the bounced towards Momoshiro's face, he widened his eyes in surprise and brought his racket towards his face as a reflex. The ball bounced off the racket and into the floor, Momoshiro looked at Ryoma with a grin.

"Scary Scary."

"15-love." Ryoma served again, Momoshiro moved to the side and hit the ball. The ball hit the net,

"30-love." Momoshiro stared at his racket,

"I guess I can't return it with just timing." Ryoma bounced the ball and served, Momoshiro returned it,

"30-15." Momoshiro grinned,

"Lucky, lucky." Ryoma served, with Momoshiro returning it, Ryoma finished it off the rally with hitting the ball near in front of the net. Momoshiro fall backwards in surprise,

"Drop volley? You can do that too?!"

"40-15." Ryoma bounced the ball as the girl with pigtail started cheering,

"Ryoma-sama! You can do it!" Ryoma switched his racket to his left hand,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari felt her hand twitch in recognition. Momoshiro raised his hands up,

"I quit. I'll let you off for now," Ryoma stared and shrugged as he got off the court,

"Doesn't matter." Ryoma put his racket in his tennis bag as everyone began to crowd him,

"That was so cool! Where'd you train at?" Hikari sighed and got off the fence, wiping her skirt for any dust.

"Temple,"

"Temple?" Ryoma then stood up with his bag as the two girls walked up to him.

"Nice to meet your aqquitance, I'm Sakuno Ryuzaki's friend, My name is Osakada Tomoka." Ryoma tilted his head, trying to recall the name.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno...Who's that?" Sakuno frowned as he walked towards the court's entrance.

"Wah, you don't remember? I'm shocked!" Ryoma's eyes trailed to meel Hikari's eyes as he walked by,

"Oh, it's you." Hikari blinked confused,

"You're from the Kakinokizaka Tennis Tournament." Ryoma nodded as he walked off. Hikari realized it was time to go change as the school's bell chimed, and she walked off to the locker rooms as well..

Hikari walked out of the changing room, she looked down at the piece of paper as she walked home.

"Oof!" Hikari looked up at the person she ran into,

"I'm sorry!" Hazel eyes stared back at her in surprise,

"No problem."

- **& **-

Somewhere, at a temple, a man in black robes was laying down reading a magazine.

"Damn, where is my idiotic son loitering at?" He looked up with a grin.

"Maybe a girlfriend?"

- **& **-

"Ah! I remember." Ryoma and Hikari looked at each other; remembering Ryuzaki Sakuno, the girl lied about the directions to get to Kakinokizaka Tennis Tournaments.


	3. Chapter o3

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Three : Super Freshman

* * *

Hikari sighed as she turned off her alarm clock, she brushed her teeth and stared in the mirror. She took two pink ribbons and tied her long curly blond locks into two pigtails. She tired the pink bow on her uniform and walked downstairs to eat breakfast.

"So, it's your second week of school. How do you like it so far?

Hikari swallowed the piece of her croissant,

"You didn't tell me it was a tennis school." Kunihimu laughed,

"I'm sure you don't want to go to another art school." Hikari got up and walked out,

"I'm leaving." Kunihumi shook his head,

'She needs to get over Royal Academy...'

- **& - **

Hikari pinched the bridge of her nose, completely tired from school work. She grabbed her white polo and pulled it over her head as she tried to look for her white tennis skirt. She grunted as she tried to close the button on her skirt. After finishing her out, she grabbed her tennis bag and left.

Ryoma kneeled down to tie his shoes,

"- Momo-senpai injured his foot so he wasn't playing his fullest." Horio grinned at Kachiro and Katsuo,

"He was injured!?"

"You couldn't tell?"

"Not at all." Horio continued to brag as Hikari came up to them,

"-and the regulars had a match, so they weren't here- Hey, Echizen! Are you even listening?" Ryoma stood up,

"Not at all..." Horio scowled,

"Whatever, it just shows that a freshman can't beat a regular. Seigaku's level is just too high, I want to see a regular match soon. Do you know the monthly ranking matches help our school determine our regulars? This year, the national head thought that it'll be better if each school had a co-ed regular team so it would seem more fair and less discriminating." Hikari tip toed over Ryoma's shoulder,

"Hey, weren't you playing with your right hand against Momoshiro?" Ryoma nodded his head, feeling her warm breath on his ear lobe, he walked off.

"Hey, are you the super freshman?" Ryoma held a blank expression on his face as he looked around, he pointed to Horio, who had other freshmens around him. He grinned

and continued to brag. The junior nodded,

"I see, he stands out with his colored outfit." Hikari looked at Horio's bright yellow and green clothing. Two juniors approached Horio,

"-and maybe I can score a point off the captain."

"Don't get too cocky! Stop this ranking match nonsense. If you think as freshman like you can play in it. You're a fool, freshmen should be fetching balls and building up stamina." Horio cowered in fear as another junior taped the junior's shoulder,

"What are you doing with all these _freshmen_?" Hikari sat down, with one foot in and the other one out.

"Echizen, help me stretch." Ryoma stood there confused, Hikari mentally face palmed.

"Push my back," Ryoma pushed her back as she bent down all the way, her nose touching her knee.

"Oh, this is the super freshman." The junior blinked in surprise,

"No, the one that played Momoshiro is over there, helping the girl stretch."The junior pointed to the two as the other schooled,

"That bastard, making fun of me like that." Horio sighed in relief,

"Eh? Ryoma's putting the moves on Hikari-chan?" Hikari sighed feeling flexible and sat back up,

"**Thank you.**" Ryoma nodded.

- **& - **

"I heard the captain, Tezuka, when undefeated." Kachiro shook his head, as he changed.

"That's something you shouldn't be bragging about." Ryoma sat down on a bench as Horio turned to him,

"Echizen, isn't it bad to be hated by the juniors? That Arai-san seems pretty strict on the high low grade relationships. He must hate you- Ah! Why'd you have to be sitting on Arai-san's jersy?!" Ryoma lifted his butt and stared at the jacket.

"Oh well." Horio graped as Ryoma stood up,

"It's not ' oh well'- Damn I just stepped on someones racket." Horio picked up and sighed in relief, seeing that it was just an old racket. They all finished changing,

"Hey let's go! There's no practice on wednesday." Horio ran out the door and into someone.

"Hey you brat, what where you're going." Ryoma carelessly walked out the door, passing the scene.

"Cheers." Arai scowled,

"Hey, what was that?!"

Hikari walked into the girl's locker room and was pushed on the shoulder. She turned and saw the junior girls laugh, she walked away to her locker to change. She grabbed her tennis bag and walked out towards the door way, until some felt something grab her tennis bag.

"Hey, we're not finished with you." Hikari turned around and stared at them,

"I don't like your stare-" Hikari walked out, she saw Ryoma, Kachiro, Katsuo, Horio and some juniors. She raised an eyebrow but walked by, Ryoma walked behind her as the trio scrambled to get away and catch up.

- **& **-

Hikari stopped at the streetlight, waiting for the cars to pass by,

"Bye Ryoma-kun!" Hikari felt a presence besides her, she turned her heads towards it. She stared at Ryoma, until she heard a beeping sound, signalling that it was time to cross. Hikari walked across the street with him besides her. The two walked in silence, until Hikari stopped at the gates of her house. Ryoma passed by her as she walked inside. She entered her home to be greeted by an old man in a butler suit,

"Welcome home, Hikari." Hikari nodded,

"Thank you, Watari-san." He took her bags and Hikari walked upstairs. She opened a door to reveal and black grand piano and her beloved violin. She sighed and sat on her stood, she closed her eyes; letting the sun's beam sink into her skin, making her feel slightly warm. She placed her finger tips on the musical keys, and proceeded to play a song that reminded her of her stay in Royal Academy. Watari gave a small frowned, hearing the beautiful; yet fickle piece. The mood of the song continuously switched from Happy to sad.

- **& **-

Ryoma shot out of his bed and looked at his alarm clock,

'6:45am..." His eyes widened in surprise and he scrambled out of his bed and into the bathroom. Downstairs in his house, a young lady with navy blue hair looked at the

time,

"Eh, where's Ryoma-kun. It's 7:10am." She turned her head, hearing loud footsteps. Ryoma ran downstairs and quickly put on his shoes,

"I'm leaving now." She stared in surprise,

"What about breakfast?" Ryoma ran out the door,

"No time."

Hikari closed her gate doors in a rush,

"Oof!" Hikari fell to the floor, she grunted as she felt an extra weight on her. She opened her eyes to see Hazel eyes staring back at her. Ryoma got off of her and grabbed her hand, helping her get up.

"Sorry." Hikari nodded her head and froze,

"Damn! We're going to be late!" She grabbed his wrist and ran.

Horio sat in his seat and looked at the two empty seats,

'Where's Echizen and Hikari-chan? They're going to be late in five minutes.' The sounds of a door sliding open was heard, and he looked to see the two walked in; panting.

The school bell rang as the teacher came in.

- **& **-

Hikari walked out of class, happy to finally eat her lunch. She walked towards the roof and opened the door to see a figure laying down. Slowly, she walked closer to the

figure for it to be revealed as Ryoma. He looked at her,

"What are you doing here?" Hikari sat down and opened her bento to see Sushi.

"Lunch." Hikari ate some, then heard a growl. She looked at Ryoma, and he looked away. She slowly slided her bento near him,

"Here." He turned to her,

"Not hungry." She raised an eyebrow at another growl she heard.

"Is that so?" He looked away again. Hikari slightly frowned,

"Eat." Ryoma turned to her and saw her face, he slowly took a sushi roll and ate it.

- **& -**

"Let's start off with 50 push ups and sits up." Groans were heard as everyone got into positions. Half way through her push ups, she heard Horio whine.

"Why are the practices here so hard?" Ryoma stood up and stretched,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari sat up, finished with her push ups.

"Freshmen, don't stop!" Hikari looked around,

"Someone that finished their push up, can you help me do my sit ups?" A bunch of boys began to crowd her as the others started to work faster. Hikari pinched the bridge of her nose and grabbed someone randomly. She laid down and began to do her push ups, after feeling a pressure on her foot.

"Fifty." Hikari sat up to see Ryoma, she blinked in surprise and they switched positions.

"Ah! Echizen, they're here." The two looked up to see a group of juniors.

"Don't show off just cause you know how to play a little tennis. The regulars are coming back-" Horio pointed behind the juniors,

"They're here!" Hiakri looked to see five boys in the same tennis uniform. A red head with a white bandage on his cheeks, a black haired boy with two hair strands sticking out, a black haired spiky guy with black squared glasses, a guy with an orange bandanna, and a guy with light brown hair that held his eyes close with a soft smile. They walked by and put their tennis bags down, people bowed.

"Cheers!" The black haired boy with two hair strands sticking out smiled,

"Newcomers. Pick any open courts and start hitting, we want you to feel right at home." Horio pointed at him,

"That must be captain, Tezuka." Hikari stared at the guy, confirming that it wasn't her brother, seeing as her brother had bronze hair and wore glasses.

"That's him, sugoi!" The browned hair boy turned to the captain,

"Oishi, we should do some light hitting as well." Oishi nodded,

"Sure Fuji, let's do it before Tezuka comes." Horio blushed and whistled as Kachiro and Katsuo glared at him for the wrong information. Everyone stared as Oishi and Fuji practiced,

"No matter where he lobs, they're all going into the basket." Oishi hit the ball as Fuji returned it,

"Fuji, you were one step late." The juniors turned to Ryoma with a smug grin,

"Understand now? Just cause you lucked out on the twist serve, doesn't mean you can compete in the ranking matches." Oishi served to Fuji,

"Ah, too far." The red head served the ball to the bow in the bandanna, he hissed and hit the ball towards the pole of the net.

"You hit it with a snake shot!" The ball flew over as Ryoma picked up his racket and hit the ball Oishi hit out. Hikari widened her eyes as the other bell flew towards her.

She picked up her racket towards her face to prevent from getting hurt. The ball his the racket hard and flew over into the basket, the same place where Ryoma's ball

landed. Ryoma smirked,

"It's unexpectedly simple." Arai scowled and picked Ryoma up by his shirt.

"Damn your arrogance! There's no room for you stupid freshmen!" The pink highlighted junior shoved Hikari,

"What do you think you're doing!? Trying to play with the regulars?!"

"What's this ruckus on the court?!" Everyone bowed,

"Buchou! Cheers."

"Ten laps, all four of you!" Arai let go of Ryoma,

"W-wait it was-"

"Twenty laps!" The junior shoved Hikari as stepped in front,

"But they started it!"

"Thirty laps! Get warm up ! When they're done, juniors and seniors will enter the courts. Freshmen, prepare for ball fetching!" Arai turned towards his friends, with a smug smile as Ryoma and Hikari began their laps.

"Those damn freshmen, I've got an idea. Lend me your ears."

- **& -**

Hikari and Ryoma walked up to the rest of the freshmen,

"Twenty more swings!" Horio turned to them,

"Hey, Ryoma-kun. Hikari-chan, You're done with 30 laps already? You guys seem calm. Freshmen have to do 100 swings, Hurry up and join us." Hikari looked around for her tennis bag. Horio noticed their delay reaction,

"Huh, What's wrong? Did you forget your rackets?"

"You're pretty damn confident to come without you're rackets." They turned to the group of juniors as they laughed,

"Are you saying you don't need the basic training?" The pink highlighted girl stepped up,

"But, he's the super freshman. Oh, aww. Does Hikari-chan need Fuji-sama to find her bag?" Arai smirked,

"If you're so confident, face me." The girl pointed two old rackets to them.

"No rackets? Here are the school's spare." Horio stared at the rackets that was held by Ryoma and Hikari,

"Eh? That one was the one in the changing room, the other one is just as bad. The strings are loose and frame is in shambles. You can't possibly use this. " Arai smirked,

"Can't face us? These rackets fit you perfectly!" Ryoma stared at him,

"You're precious rackets might show up." Ryoma blinked and looked down,

"There are some who play tricks because they're weak." Arai scowled,

"Are you implying that we hid it?" Ryoma looked up with a smirk,

"Who knows? Okay, let's play." The girl walked up to Hikari,

"Scared you'll lose?" Hikari slightly frowned,

"Fat chance."

- **& -**

"You're confident, I'll crush you." Ryoma stared at Arai.

"Here I go!" Arai served, Ryoma ran towards the ball and swung. The ball flew and hit the net. Horio shook his head,

"Just as I thought, It's impossible to play with that racket."

"What's going on? You're the one with a big mouth. Now you're going to suffer." Arai served again, Ryoma hit the ball, it flew up high but didn't go anywhere. Ryoma stood up straight and tapped the frame with his back hand.

"Hrmm, I see." Arai rolled his eyes,

"Fool! Trying to be tough, you have no chance in hell!" He served the ball and Ryoma ran towards the ball, he swung and rotated his body. The ball flashed by Arai,

"He hit it!" Horio gaped along with everyone else.

"No way! He returned it with that piece of junk?"

"Maybe it's not that old..." Arai scowled as Ryoma smirked,

"That was slow..." Arai served again,

"Shut up, just cause you returned one ball!" Ryoma returned the ball, this continued for a while until it was Ryoma's turn to serve. Just before he served, a ball came out of nowhere onto his side of the court. Curiously, Ryoma directed his stare to where it ball came from, he stared as Hikari slightly blushed and sheepishly rubbed her arm. Ryoma kicked the ball away and served, it went right through Arai's legs. Arai kneeled down,

"Echizen's controlling the ball already!" Ryoma unbuttoned the top of his polo,

"Okay, warm is done." Horio pointed to his racket,

"A string is broken!" Ryoma smirked and turned to Arai,

"No worries, let's end this senpai." Arai gulped and stepped back nervously,

"It's just practice.." Ryoma grabbed a tennis ball and smirked wider,

"Yada."

- **& -**

"Well, Well. Let's see if you can get Fuji's attention now." Hikari raised an eyebrow,

'Who is Fuji?' The girl pointed the racket at Hikari,

"Look here, I'm Tanaki Sakura! President of Fuji fanclub, and there's no way I'm going to let a_ freshman _win Fuji's affection." She served the ball in a sloppy and slow fashion, Hikari ran towards the ball and hit it, it flew all the way to Ryoma's side of the court. He turned and stared at her but looked away.

""Ha, you suck!" Sakura served,

"Hey, Hikari-chan. How are you doing!?" Hikari was about to his the ball, but hearing Horio's voice made her turn her body to face him. The ball flew over, passing Sakura.

"That was just luck!" Hikari stared at her,

'If only you know...' Ryoma stared at the scene and smirked.

Hikari continued to play until it was her turn to serve. She looked over to Ryoma but shook her head,

'It's not that hard to serve...'

"Minna-san. Captain ordered everyone to run laps for breaking rules." Hikari turned to see Oishi with a smile,

"10 laps, onegai." Hikari blinked in surprise and shrugged her shoulders for fickle luck.

- **& -**

Hikari sat in her bath tub, bubbles were covered with purple flower petals. The bath was scented with lavender bath salts, Hikari frowned at the scent but closed her eyes.

"_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight, it's hard to let it go._

_Hold me, whatever lies beyond morning; is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare at all. _

_Nothing's like before...._"


	4. Chapter o4

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Four : Ranking Tournament

* * *

Hikari and Ryoma stood together walking to the courts for tennis practice,

"Ah! Hikari-chan, Echizen!" Hikari turned to see Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo.

"We're cheering for you!" Hikari raised an eyebrow and put her racket on her shoulders,

'For what?'

"We're counting on you to become regulars." Hikari stepped back surprised,

"Eh?!"

"Hey freshmen!" Everyone froze to see a boy in an orange bandanna.

"Stop slacking off, now go!" The trio ran off, Hikari stood there confused as the snake like boy turned to Ryoma and Hikari.

"Hey, aren't you freshmen?" Ryoma grabbed Hikari's wrist and dragged her off,

"Hai, we're leaving now." Ryoma passed by the boy and smirked,

"Scary scary," The two walked towards the court,

"Oi, Are you Tezuka Hikari?" Hikari turned to see an albino girl; white hair, pale skin, and red eyes.

"What of it?" The girl laughed,

"My name is Tanume Yukiko, I can't wait to face the girl that 'stole Fuji's affection.' " Yukiko waved her hand and walked away, Ryoma let go of Hikari's wrist and walked off also. Blinking in surprise, Hikari ran after him.

"Wait up!"

- **& -**

Kachiro turned to Horio,

"What's the ranking match?" Horio face palmed,

"A ranking tournament that juniors and seniors play every year to determine the regulars. This year, their adding the girls and boys that are skilled to the ranking

tournament. There are six block with 18 people in it, hence 9 regulars are chosen."

"Is Ryoma-kun and Hikari-chan playing?" Horio nodded,

"Hai, and if you become a regular, you can wear and blue and white Jersey." Kachiro tilted his head confused,

"If juniors and seniors playing in the ranking tournament, why is Ryoma-kun and Hikari-chan? Aren't they freshmen?" Horio grinned,

"Rumor has it, that Captain saw them play against the juniors."

- **& -**

Ryoma and Hikari walked around to see Sakuno swing her purple racket, Ryoma walked up behind her and poked her leg with his racket.

"You bend your knees too much." Sakuno blinked in surprise,

"Don't flip your wrist like that." Sakuno flashed a nervous smile,

"Ah! Advice..." Ryoma stared at germ

"You open your shoulders too wide, and your hair's too long. You should cut it." Sakuno frowned and touched her hair. Ryoma turned to Hikari and tugged on her hair,

"Your is probably longer, you should cut it also." Hikari grabbed her hair,

"Yada. I love my hair." Ryoma walked off with a light smirk,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari scowled and walked after him,

"I don't have a long way to go!" Sakuno stared as they walked off. Tomoko suddenly grabbed Sakuno's arm,

"Come on! We have to cheer Ryoma-sama on!" Sakuno stumbled as Tomoko dragged her off.

- **& -**

Ryoma entered the court to see a bunch of seniors and juniors,

"Is that him?" Horio grinned at Ryoma,

"Echizen it's almost time, good luck!" Ryoma turned to see the trio.

"You're in my way, move." Ryoma looked up to see the snake like guy from before glaring at him, Ryoma glared back. The umpire sat in his chair,

"Is everybody in block D ready?"

- **& -**

Hikari stood there, ignoring the people talk about her,

"Is she one of two girls in the ranking matches?"

"Yeah, she's a freshman."

"What's her name?"

"Tezuka Hikari."

"Eh!? Is she related to captain?"

"Probably cousins, they look nothing alike." Hikari felt someone in front of her and looked up to see Yukiko smile,

"Good luck!" The umpire cleared his throat,

"Is everybody in block E ready?"

"Hai!" He grinned,

"First match, Tezuka Hikari vs Wakashima Hanatorou."

- **& -**

Ryoma walked up to the score board and stared at his name,

First game: 6 - 0

Second game: 6 - 0

Oishi looked up at Ryoma,

"Block D, Echizen Ryoma. 6 - 0." Oishi nodded and marked the score on the board. Ryoma looked for Hikari's name.

First game: 6 - 3

Second game: 6 - 4.

- **& -**

Hikari grabbed her bento and sat down under a cherry blossom tree, she sneezed and blinked in surprise,

'Someone must be either talking or thinking of me.' She continued to eat her noodles.

"You have two straight wins in this tournament. You're so great Echizen!" Ryoma just continued eating his lunch, though not satisfied by it.

' Tezuka-san's bento taste better. '

"You said it was going to be hard for Ryoma-Kun to win."

"To a regular . But if he plays like this, He may even beat Kaidoh-senpai" Suddenly the door opened to reveal a black eye Kachiro with his video camera in hand.

"Kachiro, Where did you go? What happened to your eye ?" Ryoma didn't even look up and packed away his bento as the two looked up at Kachiro.

" I was trying so hard to tape that I got hit by a ball...I taped Kaidoh-senpai's match. He's Ryoma-kun's next opponent," The two stood up to see the video as Ryoma picked up a tennis magazine.

"Ah, that's good. Maybe I can't win." He flipped another page as the three stared at him,

"How can you say that Ryoma-kun ?"

"They sure are good, Top pro." Ryoma ignored them and got up to leave.

"Echizen, where are you going ?"

- **& -**

Hikari stared at her half eaten noodles,

"Second game, 6 - 4." Hikari looked up to see Ryoma smugly smirk,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari frowned as he started to hit the tennis ball against the building wall.

"Can you help me on swinging?" Ryoma continued to practice,

"Only if you give me some food." Hikari stood up and gave fed him some noodles, glad that he was looking at the tennis ball instead of her flushed face.

Sakuno stopped and stared as Hikari fed more noodles to Ryoma, she felt a knot in her stomach, Ryoma continued to eat and practice.

"Ryoma-kun...Hikari-chan. Sugoi." She then noticed that he hit the same place over and over.

"The ball is hitting the same spot."

"Is there something you need ? " Sakuno gasped and blink as Ryoma suddenly stop hitting the ball and use the racket to catch the ball. He then started hitting it up and down.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you two."Sakuno blushed and looked down as he closed his eyes and tipped his hat to cover his face,

"You're not really disturbing me..Do you want something?" She looked up with a flushed face,

"Uh...Your match is soon so, good luck!" Ryyoma stopped bouncing the ball and stared at her. She widened her eyes as she felt her cheeks got hotter, Hikari noticed her flushed face.

"Ryuzaki-san, are you okay?" Sakuno ran off, Hikari blinked in surprise and turned to Ryoma.

"Is she sick?" Ryoma shrugged and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Hikari stood there with her almost empty lunch box. Ryoma said nothing and Hikari shrugged, she sat back down at the tree. She sighed feeling the cool breeze and closed her eyes.

- **& -**

In that temple, the monk was laying down, then a white Himalayan cat walked up to him. The monk smiled,

"Oh Karupin, you came at a good time." The monk took out a green wooden snake toy, the cat tilted it's head curious and narrowed it's golden feline eyes at it.

- **& -**

Fuji walked towards block D, to see the super freshman and Kaidoh play. Fuji walked through the grassy field and spotted a girl sleeping under a cherry blossom tree. He bent down and tapped her shoulder, she slowly flutter her emerald eyes open,

"Excuse me miss, but sleeping here isn't safe." The girl shot up and turned her head looking around; her long blond curls nearly hitting Fuji across the face. Fuji stood up and held out a hand to her, she took it and stood up. She patted any dirt off her clothes and grabbed her things; Fuji recognized her when he saw the ganguro girls bully coach Ryuzaki's granddaughter. The girl walked off, Fuji walked up besides her,

"What's your name?" She opened the gates to the court,

"Hikari." Fuji stayed in place as she walked inside. He shook his head with a smile and continued to walk to block D courts.

"Syusuke Fuji." was that Hikari heard before she closed the gate.

"Now that both players are here, Tezuka Hikari vs. Tanume Yukiko match will begin. Tanume to serve!"

- **& -**

"The best of one set match, Echizen to serve. " Ryoma took the ball and threw it up high, arching his back as he served it. The two rallied as if it was the power of endurance, But soon the ball hit the net. Ryoma's hat flew off,

"15-love." He grabbed another ball and served again, continuously rallying, Ryoma had hit it in the other direction,

"Ryoma-kun you did it !" Ryoma's eyes narrowed watching his opponents next move, he ran all the way over to the other side, dipping his racket and returning it. It bounced off the ground,

"15-15 " Ryoma stood there looking at the ball trying to decode what just happened.

- **& -**

The monk was reading some magazine with girls on it, playing with a cat. Using his feet to move the toy snake.

"Come on now. Don't lose to a snake."The Himalayan cat stared intently at the snake and jumped, biting the monk's foot.

"Itai!"

- **& -**

" Heh, returning it at that angle...Mada mada dane." Ryoma smirked and switched the racket to his left hand.

"Game won by Tanume!" Hikari panicked,

' It's okay, Hikari. Just continue to play. ' Hikaro pinched the bridge of her nose and got out a ball. She shakily threw the ball up and hit it.

"Fault." Hikari cursed under her breath, she bounced the ball twice and threw it up, barely getting the ball over the net. Yukiko quickly returned the ball,

"Don't tell me your a fake. I've been waiting to play this match, to see the famous super freshmen play. What a drag..." Hikari's green eyes narrowed and returned the ball. The two rallied, until Hikari had hit a high lob and she smashed it.

"Love-15" Yukiko shook her head,

"I thought I was going to have a real game."

Ryoma threw the ball up and served, quickly running to the net to return had purposely hit it low and deep towards the line . Kaidoh returned it with the " snake " and Ryoma changed his footing and returned the ball.

"Out! "

'Hrmm, Timings off.' Ryoma thought as he wiped the sweat of his face.

"No good. " Ryoma walked back to the middle of the court.

"Game won by Kaidoh. "

"Game won by Echizen. " The game point is 1-1, Ryoma stood in a stance and served the ball. Rallying, Kaidoh used snake again. He ran towards the the ball and returned it, He did snake again. Ryoma began panting, trying to return all the hits.

'Kuso, I'm losing stamina . '

"Kaido-senpai, You sure are sweating a lot. " He scowled as Ryoma served, he missed it.

"40-30" he turned to the ball, and turn to glared at Ryoma

- **& -**

Hikari threw up the ball, and seved It going all in one fluid movement, the ball went over and Yukiko returned it. Hikari quickly ran up to the front

and returned the ball near the base line. Yukiko and Hikari rallied, hitting the ball towards the base line until Hikari ended it with a drop volley.

Yukiko looked up at Hikari,

"Eh, You're getting better. But not enough to impress me." Hikari smirked,

"Alright let's see what I can do."

"Game set, 4-3. Tamume in lead, and to serve" The two panted as Yukiko got another tennis ball. She threw it up and did an ace serve, Hikari quickly going up to return the serve. Yukiko went to hit it but it suddenly had alot more power then her previous hits. It ended up hitting a high lob, Hikari jumped and smashed the ball down.

Ryoma threw the ball up and served, Kaido tripped in trying to return it.

"Game won by Echizen."

Ryoma threw the ball back up and served again, Kaido kept missing and tripping.

"Game won by Echizen."

'Could it be, My reaction is getting slower. Am I the one that exhausted? The one that fell for the trap, was it me? But he's in the same state as me. If I lose concentration, It will be over!' Kaidoh panted and hissed at the freshman.

Ryoma served it and Kaidoh finally returned, He returned with a snake, the two rallied untill he hit the net. He was definitely panting now, Ryoma

smirked and served.

"Game won by Echizen, "

"Game won by Kaidoh," They rallied alot, Ryoma's eyes suddenly widen in recognization.

"The snake, its a buggy whip shot!" Ryoma withdrew his arm back to hit it like a buggy whip shot.

"Here it comes!" He returned the shot doing the 'snake', everyone gaped at the freshman.

"Snake? How did he!? He managed to do the snake " Ryoma stood in the same position hearing someone explain the buggy whip shot.

"Buggy whip shot, Using the centrifugal force you put a high spin on the ball. By starting a loop from the bottom to top, There are alot of top word

players who use this as a weapon. Kaido's snake is an example of that technique. However you cannot learn this technique in a day," Ryoma

started moving his arm a bit, smirking,

"Kaido-senpai, this is pretty complicated. Just recently, By chance. I read an article that described this technique. I just tried it to see, but it's harder than it looks." Kaidoh scowled.

"Match point Echizen." Ryoma served the ball as Kaidoh's bandanna came off and he missed the ball.

"Game won by Echizen.'' The trio ran towards Ryoma and congratulating him, until they heard some banging noises. Kaidoh was beating himself with his racket, Ryoma stared as he picked up his bandanna and walked towards him.

"Handshake." Ryoma offered his land but Kaidoh he walked away. Horio patted Ryoma's shoulder, Ryoma left to grab his tennis bag and walked

towards Block E court. He saw a girl playing against Hikari.

"Game won by Tezuka." Hikari watched as Yukiko bounced the ball and threw up high, Hikari returned the ball with a backhand as it intiated a

rally. She then hit the ball over Hikari's head as Hikari jumped, and shakily smashed it.

Hikari bounced the ball and started to hum as she threw it up, she shot low near the base shot and Yukiko returned, and Hikari quickly dropped it,

not giving Yukiko enough time to return it.

"45-30, Game set, Game won by Tezuka. 7 - 5." Yukiko fell to her knees, completely tired. She looked up at Hikari to see her still standing, and

breathing somewhat normally, with her hand stretched out.

"Good game."

"Good game," Hikari turned to get her things as people came to congradulate her,

"Good job, Win tomorrows match and you'll be a regular !"

- **& -**

Ryoma and Hikari walked around the tennis courts as the Sakura petals flew around, Hikari grinned feeling the sun warm her skin.

"The last day of the ranking tournament, So who are you going up against?" Ryoma shrugged,

"Someone named Sadaharu Inui." Hikari nodded,

"I'm going against someone named Takashi Kawamura. Good luck," Hikari walked into her courts to see a light brown haired boy, shyly looking around. Hikari blinked and stared at the umpire,

"Takashi Kawamura vs. Tezuka Hikari match shall begin, Takashi to serve!" Hikari noticed he didn't bring his racket,

"Ano, you forgot you're racket." He widened his eyes and nervously nodded, he walked over to get his racket.

Ryoma sat down to tie his shoes,

"Were you waiting? " He turned to see a guy with short black spiky hair and black square glasses,

"Inui-senpai..."

"Let's start the match between Inui Sadahara and Echizen Ryoma, " The two walked up towards the nets,

"Let's play a match with no regrets, " Ryoma shifted his hat,

"Sure."

"Inui to serve! "

He threw up the ball and served, the two rallied until Inui returned the ball and stood still.

"Missed " Ryoma stumbled trying to reach the ball, he blinked and stared at Inui.

"15-0"

"30-0"

"40-0"

"Bastard, " Ryoma returned the ball, Inui ran towards the left.

" Going to the left, probability 75% . " Ryoma dived to hit the ball, Inui stood still and pushed up his glasses.

"It's not going to go over. "

"Game won by Inui. " Ryoma stayed on the floor and looked up at Inui,

"Burning baby! I'm going to kick your butt!" Hikari widened her eyes in surprise as the boy grinned and wildly flailed his racket around. He served the ball,

"BURNING!" The ball flew passed her and nearly burnt the ground.

"Game won by Takashi, 3 - 1."

"Game won by Inui. Switch sides." Ryoma walked over switching sides with his eyes closed,

"25 %"

"Huh ? " Ryoma opened his eyes and stopped walking,

"I've watched four of your games, including the game with Kaidoh. Straight shot - 12 times , Cross shot - 5 times, Lob shot - 3 times, In a case like this, your approach with your cross shots..only have a chance of hitting it back at 12 % Especially against a tall person like me. A lob is bad for you, Also knowing that hitting straight to the right side isn't working for you...You decide to hit it behind me with a difficult cross shot. Therefore, calculating a 25 % chance of success. Probability of hitting a cross shit is 75 % I've already figured out your game. It's a reference to your data " Ryoma put his racket on his shoulder and closed his eyes,

"Hmm, an irritating strategy. " He walked away,

"Ha, such a rude rookie." Inui stared at him but continued to walk.

"Hikari to serve. " Hikari bounced the ball and served, Takashi ran up towards the ball,

"Yosh ! " He returned he ball, Hikari gasped as her racket flew out of her hands once again.

"15 - love." Hikari bent down to get her racket, getting another ball she threw it up and served. Adding more power into the hit, he returned it . Hikari tightened her grip on her racket and swung to return it. The racket flew out her hands as the ball hit the net.

"30-0" Hikari narrowed her as at the racket and picked it up. She bounced the ball and threw it up and hit it, Takashi returned. Hikari ran towards the ball and swung really hard. The ball tipped over the net and hit the floor as the racket flew out of her hand, making a loud noise.

"30-15" Hikari served again,

'This is a power game, and I'm not that strong. I don't know how long my wrist can take this...'

- **& **-

"Game count: 2 - 1! Inui leads. Echizen service!" Ryoma bounced the ball a few times and threw up the ball. Ryoma hit the ball over with a grunt.

"Did you expect that serve?" Ryoma smirked as the ball hit the net, Inui pushed his glasses up.

"I didn't expect that fault just now. " Ryoma served again and the two began to rally.

"Missed." Ryoma dived for the ball as Inui stood still and watched him.

"15-30"

"15-40" Ryoma kneeled on the ground and stared at him,

"Game won by Inui." Ryoma got up from the ground and touched his racket's string, Inui stared at him.

"Your pretty good, " Ryoma looked up at Inui,

"You're targeting areas that are out of my reach. To be honest, you're stronger than if you know where the ball is going to land, No matter how good the shot is, You can hit it back. " Ryoma stared at Inui as he turned around,

"Don't think you'll be a Seigaku regular member soon . I will be one this time." Ryoma smirked,

"Mada mada dane. "

- **& **-

"40-30." Hikari grunted , getting tired from returning all these powerful hits. She looked up to see Takashi sweating. She wiped her forehead and waited for him to serve the ball. The two had rallied, Hikari was glad that his power continously decreased. Giving her a chance to actually return the ball.

"Game won by Tezuka. Game count 5-4, Tezuka to serve." Hikari walked to the other side of the court passing by Takashi,

"You're very powerful." Hikari stared at him as he grinned,

"Yeah, burn baby! For captain's cousin, you're pretty good too!" Hikari grabbed a ball and bounced it waiting for him to reach the other side. As soon as he did, she stopped bouncing the ball and threw it up,

"Here. I. Come!" She hit the ball, and Takashi returned it. Feeling a slight pain in her wrist, Hikari looked down on it but ignored it and continued to play.

"15-love." Hikari felt the corners of her lips twitch up, noticing that his power probably decreased enough for her to return back well.

- **& **-

Inui turned around and stared at Ryoma confused,

"Huh? " Ryoma looked down,

"It was good to come to Seigaku, now I can beat all kinds of tennis players." Ryoma looked up at Inui .

"Sugoi ! Ryoma-kun movements are totally different from before. "

"Did I overdo it ? Mada mada dane." Ryoma picked up his hat with his racket and put it on his head.

"Just like Inui-senpai...you knew it was going out, right ? " Inui pushed his glasses up as Ryoma began hopping up and down, waiting for Inui to serve. He quickly ran and hit it back,

"Here I go." The two rallied as Kachiro, Katsuo, and Horio stared amazed.

"Ryoma-kun's moves seem different."

"That's split step." The trio looked up at Fuji,

"Split Step?"

"If it's split step, leave it to me to know ! " Horio laughed as Kachiro and Katsuo turned to him.

"When the opponent hits the ball, hop and make sure your feet land at the same time as the impact of the racket hits the ball. Doing so will make your response time half a step fast, by allowing your feet to react to the ball faster. "

"Sugoi, but how can he move his feet faster ? " Horio stopped bouncing and stared sheepishly at Fuji,

"He's expanding and contracting his muscle to explode into a dash,"

"Expansion and contraction muscle?"

"If reaction is half a step faster, It'll mean he can reach balls that are a meter above his normal radius. In short, Echizen can read Inui's move. "

- **& **-

"40-40" Hikari moved her wrist a bit, trying to ignore the pain and push back the small tears, she looked back up at Takashi and gripped her racket with both hands. Takashi served the ball and she quickly ran towards it, swinging all her might into the ball and rotated her body. The ball quickly spun and hit the floor, Takashi dived for it . Sliding against the grund, he grunted as he tried to hit the ball.

"Game won by Tezuka, Game count. 7-5. Tezuka wins. " Hikari knelled on the ground, completely tired. She looked and saw Takashi walked towards the net, without his racket. She noticed his hand stretched out,

"G-good game, " he shyly smiled and Hikari laughed, and got up. She reached out her right hand and they shook hands. Hikari winced a bit but smiled,

"Good game. " Hikari walked to the score board,

"Tezuka Hikari, Block E. 7-5." The guy nodded and wrote it down. Hikari gulped down some water and walked to Block D's match.

Ryoma returned the ball,

"15-all." He smirked and continued to hop as Inui served,

"Next, I'll hit it to the right. " He hit the ball to the right,

"And go to the net ! " He ran to the net.

"Split step is a common technique, But Echizen's step is... If he lands with both foot, then it's normal. But his step is done with only one feet!" Hikari looked a his feet,

"Left." He announced hitting the ball Inui returned the ball to the other side,

" Going to the Left." Echizen smirked and ran to the other side, returning it. Inui returned it and Ryoma ran,

"Going to the right ! " Inui went to hit the ball and it hit the tip pof his racket.

"15-30" Gaspes were heard around.

"Ryoma-sama!" Hikari flinched at the loud noise and looked at Tomoko waving her arms around with Sakuno staring at him.

" Echizen's rhythm is getting fast . "

"Is it the split step's rhythm?"

"His step has nothing normal about it, That step will be interesting. "

"It's true that one-footed split step looks a lot faster than both feet. But if you don't know where the opponent will hit the ball, then its useless. If you land on the wrong foot, then you could get crossed up, resulting in a bad step. Unless, Echizen is reading the opponent like Inui and his data!? "

"Only Inui can play tennis like that. "

"Then how could Ryoma-kun do that ? "

"He probably distinguishes the direction instantly as the ball is hit." Hikari snorted,

"Don't give Echizen too much credit. "

"If that's the case, then forget the half-a-step , he's reacting step and a half faster. "

"That fast !? "

"With that, he can hit any ball that's usually out of reach. "

- **& **-

"Game won by Echizen."

"Game won by Inui."

"Game won by Echizen."

"Game won by Echizen. "

Ryoma returned the ball as Inui dived for it,

" Game won by Echizen ! " Inui bent down to tie he's shoes,

"Hmm, this is getting tough. I can't believe I can't hit the shots that I anticipate, but It's not like I can't catch up to him. Even if this continues the probability of me winning is still high." Ryoma bounced the ball,

"Alright, Alright. " He continued to bounce the ball with his left hand.

"Hey, Inui-senpai. There's another spot where you can't hit the ball, even if you anticipate it!" Ryoma threw the ball up and served with his right hand,

"Ha ! "

"Do you think you can win with this serve ? " The ball flew past Inui's head.

"There it is ! Twist serve!" Many murmurs and gapses were heard.

"15-love" Ryoma bounced the ball ,

"My right hand isn't as strong as my left. But I want it to fly towards your glasses..." Hikari stared as Ryoma served,

"30-love" Inui stepped back to return, his racket flew out of his hand.

"40-love" Ryoma pointed his racket at Inui,

"If you playing with data, then I'll have to rise above your data." Ryoma served again, with Inui returning it as a high lob.

"Mada Mada Dane." Ryoma smirked, returned it near the base line.

"Game by Echizen 6-4." Inui and Ryoma shook hand,

"I was a little pissed, but it was alot of fun-" Inui walked away,

"I gather some good data. Right handed twist serve and if you use a high step..." Ryoma sighed,

"I don't want to play against you anymore." He walked out to be greeted by the trio,

"Ryoma-kun, you're awesome! This means you're going to be a regular member for sure !"

"Yup, I have acknowleged your ability from the start."

"Horio-kun, you change your mind all the time."

"Fshhhu, Urusai. Stop saying nonsense." Everyone turned their heads towards Kaido.

"Hai ! " The trio stuttered.

"Oi, Ryoma-kun. You have a match coming up soon with a junior, Come on ! Let's go ! " They all walked back into the court.

- **&** -

"Game set. Won by Echizen. 6 games to love!"

"Four straight wins! This means he's on the co-ed regular team!"The trio cheered.

"Game set. Won by Tezuka, 7-5! " Hikari shook hands with her opponent, and walked off to the locker rooms.

- **& **-

Ryoma buttoned his collar on his school uniform,

"Echizen, write down your size.." Oishi came up to Ryoma with a peice of paper,

"Ah ! The regular jacket orders, Your names will be stitched on, so it has to be specially ordered. " Horio grabbed Ryoma's shoulder.

Hikari pulled on her socks and shoes,

"Are you Tezuka Hikari?"A girl tapped Hikari shoulders, she nodded as the girl handed her a piece of paper.

"Please write down your size." Hikari stuffed it in her pocket and walked out.

- **& **-

"You really are amazing Ryoma-kun! Wearing that jacket even though you're only a first year student." Ryoma and the trio were walking with Hikari towards the schools gate entrance.

"Oh! Ryuzaki-san! Is something wrong?" Everyone stoped walking and stared at Sakuno as she began to blush at the sudden attention.

"Ano, Ryoma-kun. You-"

"Ah! Ryoma-sama. Huh? Why are you already here Sakuno? Oh! Ryoma-sama I wanted to congradulate you on becoming a regular member. For real, as your fan club's president. I'm ectastic! You too, right Sakuno? " Tomoko ran over in front of Sakuno. Sakuno blinked and smiled,

"Yeah Ryom-" Tomoko raised her arms up,

"To celebrate Ryoma-sama be-" Ryoma began to walk away.

"Oi, Hikari-chan! Did you make the co-ed team ? I doubt it cause your a girl ." Horio asked Hikari. Hikari rolled her eyes at his sexist statement and walked passed him annoyed. The paper from Hikari's pocket slipped out,

"Hikari-chan! You dropped something, " Horio picked it up and ran after the two,

"E-eh ?! Hikari-chan. You have the size paper too? You're a regular!?"


	5. Chapter o5

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Five : Regulars

* * *

Ryoma sighed and looked outside the window with a nonchalant expression on his face. The bell rang and he got up, walking to the roof with Hikari. Ryoma stared at her wrist, noticing some bandages around her wrist.

"Itadakimasu, " Hikari began eating her sushi, Ryoma layed down and closed his eyes with his arms behind his head.

'Today is such a boring day...' Hikari leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

- **& **-

"Kuso, Echizen. Wake up, Echizen!" Ryoma yawned and got up, Hikari was quickly packing her things as the school bells continued to chime signalling the day was over,

"Echizen, we slept through the whole day. School's over." Ryoma turned his head towards her and blinked in surprise then changed back to his nonchalant expression.

"Oh well, " He got up and stretched as Hikari sighed,

"No use crying over spilled milk, Let's go to tennis practice. " The two walked out towards the courts and to the locker rooms.

- **& **-

"Seigaku, Fight-o Fight-o!"

"Freshmen, your voices are too low!"

"Alright everyone, gather up!" Everyone lined up in front of Ryuzaki.

"I shouldn't have to say it but, the co-ed regionals are right around the corner. The nine chosen regulars at the ranking tournament are, Kaidoh Kaoru, Momoshiro Takeshi ,

Kawamura Takashi, Kikumaru Eiji, Fuji Syuusuke, Oishi Syuchiroh, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Echizen Ryoma, and Tezuka Hikari."

Many whispers were passed around,

"Two freshmen?"  
"One girl and one boy."  
"Tezuka...? She doesn't look anything like Captain, she must be a cousin."  
"Echizen...that kid with the twist serve right?"  
"Fuji-sama is so hot."  
"Kaidoh-senpai is so scary..."

"Meeting Adjourned! Second and thrid year members in court C, Court A and B- "

"Wait a minute, for the regular members, I have asked this man to prepare a special training menu. "

"Inui," Inui waved his hand,

"Yo, to survive until the national tournament. First of all we must train our foot work, "power ankle" adding two 250g traningweights, including the socks, will weigh 1kg. "

Everyone put on the weights; Momoshiro started moving his leg up and down.

"That's not alot of weight, " Ryoma started jumping in his weights,

"I've analyzed all of your strengths and decided to put it to the test with this training exercise. Further more, many red, blue and yellow cones. Along with color coded red,

blue, and yellow balls have been prepared. Ryuzaki-sensei, please go hit the balls to Echizen. I'll take Kikumaru Eiji." Ryoma walked towards Ryuzaki as Kikumaru and Inui practiced.

"hmm, I see. Make an error and it's over. " Inui pushed up his glasses and hit the ball,

"Here it goes, Eiji."

"Red!" Inui served repeatedly,

"Blue!"

"Yellow!" Kikumaru returned the ball and froze,

"My feet suddenly feel heavier. Hrm, this might be tough," Inui served the ball,

"Red!" Inui raised an eyebrow,

"Isn't that blue ? " Kikumaru gasped in surprise,

"Huh, Liar! What is this?! It was red after all! Inui, that's not fair. You cheater!" Kikumaru pouted as Inui walked up with a green drink in his hands,

- **& **-

Ryoma turned the ball to the cones,

"Blue!"

"Red!"

"Yellow,"

"Blue!" Echizen looked down at his foot,

'I feel a pressure on my feet.' Ryoma continued to play until Ryuzaki-sensei stopped hitting it and stared at the court besides them.

"If you lose your stamina, Your judgement will be impaired. Kikumaru, switch positions. By the way I forgot to tell you, those who made errors will brink Inui's special

vegetable juice." Kikumaru bent down and stared at the glass,

"What's in that ? " Inui smiled cheekily,

"Food, don't worry about it. The taste has been thoroughly adjusted!" There was a glint to Inui's glasses as Kikumaru gulped down the whole drink, Everyone stared for his

reaction.

"Blah! What is this!?" Kikumaru had a flush face, scrunching his nose as he ran to the water fountain. Ryoma stared in horror as Kikumaru yelled,

"Water, water, water!"

"Echizen!" Ryoma turned in surprise to see the ball pass him. Ryoma looked up to see Inui with the glass. Wary; Ryoma took the glass and gulped it down, He

quickly turned around covering his mouth. Everyone made way for him as he ran to get water,

"Echizen-san!?" Hikari looked at Echizen worried, Everyone stared speechless at the reactions to the drink,  
"What are you doing !? Next, Oishi, Kawamura !" The two boys turned around and gulped, thinking the same thing,

'Can't make a mistake!'

"Red," Oishi returned the ball,

"Blue!" He suddenly missed a step and took his punishment, running to the fountains. Takashi stared nervously,

"Here's your racket Taka-san." Fuji gave him the racket,

"Blue!" Takashi furiously hit the balls back, Tezuka stared at the practice. His eyes landed on Hikari, many thoughts of her last name flooded his head. He stared at her racket, and it trailed up to her wrist. He slightly furrowed his eyebrows at the bandages,

"Tezuka-san!" Hikari looked up at him surprised and walked towards him.

"Hai, Captain?" He looked at her wrist, Hikari followed where he was looking.

"Oh, my wrist...it was slightly sore after the ranking tournaments. But don't worry! These bandages are like heat pads, so it relieves the pain. In fact, I don't think I need them anymore." Hikari began to unwrap her wrist, Tezuka looked at her small wrist and nodded.

"Alright, go back to practice. Don't be careless."

- **& **-

"Alright, Red! " The ball hit the blue, Takashi ran for his life to receive water. Everyone broke a sweat or two and turned to see the next victum,

"Red," Momoshiro returned the ball,

"Blue!" He ended up missing the blue cone, and ran in the same direction of Takashi.

"Fsshuu." Kaido hissed as he did his signature move,

"Red!" the ball rolled out with his blue cursed lines. Kaido's eyes widen as he took the drink in his hand, gulping it he closed his eyes as he walked. Turning blue, he

quickened his pace and broke out into a run.

"Even Kaidoh-senpai couldn't take it." Fuji smiled as he hit the wrong cone. Kikumaru sat up with his fist in the air,

"Fuji! You did it on purpose!" Fuji accepted the drink,

"Yeah, I want to drink it at least once." Fuji gulped it down, unaffected he smiled even more

"This is quite good, I recommend it." Kikumaru groaned and lied back down,

"Stop lying." Inui smirked and looked up ,

"Hikari-san, " Hikari gulped and nervously stood as Inui hit the ball,

"Y-yellow. " Hikari shakily returned the ball as it barely hit the yellow cone.

"Blue?" Hikari tried to hit it towards the cone but missed.

"Oh no! Hikari-chan is going to have to drink the juice!" Katsuo stared as she blinked and looked at the glass in front of her, Ryoma shifted his eyes to see her reaction. Hikari quickly gulped down the whole drink and turned a bit green. She turned to run to get water but missed a step and dizzily spun around, Ryoma got up to his feet as the trio yelled out,

"Hikari-chan!" Ryoma grabbed her shoulders as her head slooped down, her eyes all swirly.

"Tezukai-san, Dajoubou? Hikari-san! " Hikari looked up a bit dazed, Momoshiro laughed,

"Ahhh, Young love." Oishi turned towards him.

"You're only a year older." Momoshiro just waved his hands,

"Hmmm..." She shakily straightened her posture and sat down nearby Kikumaru, Everyone stared as she was still a bit green. Hikari layed her head against the fence and

closed her eyes. Ryoma followed and sat back down still sick from the drink.

- **& **-

"Everyone did better than I thought, Kikumaru. You have a habit of losing your grip during your shot. That'll improve if you develop your forearm muscles, Oishi and Kaidoh

have to work on their foward and backward movement. Kawamura and Fuji have to work on their Left and Right dash. You need to develop your quadricep and tricep

muscles." Everyone sat up from the positions confused,

"Where are those muscles?" Inui continued listing out ,

"Momoshiro, your accuracy will improve if you hold your shots to 70% of your full strength. Tezuka did well in not missing any, but he needs more flexibility. Your

expression is too cold. " Everyone turned to look at Tezuka and snickered,

"Echizen and Hikari-san, well how do I put this? Let's start with two glasses of milk a day. " Hikari snapped her eyes opened as Ryoma shot up from his position,

"Even if I drink milk a lot, I won't grow that fast. " Hikari nodded in agreement,

"Drink it!" Everyone yelled as Hikari and Ryoma widened their eyes. Tezuka pushed up his glasses,

"Inui's recommending it, There is no mistake." Ryuzaki-sensei smirked with her arms crossed,

"He's tested it on himself already, " Inui dugged into his box,

"Back to subject. Hikari-san please see me after practice. Let's add one more block, "

"Wait a second Inui, Five weights are okay. " Momoshiro stood up,

"We're going to eventually end up with five weights right Inui-senpai?" Ryoma tipped his hat,

"I don't even mind six weights. " Inui stared at them.

"No, for regulars...up to 10 weights. " Everyone frozed and turned to him with a dead pan expression.

"It's not funny, you-!" Tennis balls were being thrown at Inui as he tried to cover himself. Ryuzaki laughed.

"Tezuka, there is no need to strain yourself. Think of the future and your rehabilitation. " Tezuka stared at the team as they laughed and threw tennis balls at Inui,

"Right now, I'm only thinking of winning the tournament with them. " Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow,

"And what about Tezuka Hikari?" Tezuka stared at Hikari as she laughed and threw tennis balls at Inui.

"My sister will have to wait, untill the right time." Ryuzaki smiled and looked at the regulars,

"Alright! Resuming practice; The goal is to be number one out of all the junior high schools!" Everyone cheered,

"Seigaku!"

- **& - **  
Hikari walked up to Inui as everyone else went to the locker rooms.

"Inui-senpai, You wanted something?"

"Hai, Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka agreed that I should personally train you. You have many areas were you need to improve, I need to add three blocks more so you can be equivilant to the boys. " Hikari looked up at Inui, a bit ashamed at her weaknesses. She nodded,

"Alright, We'll stay after practice every Tuedays and Wednesday. Is that alright with you?" Hikari nodded and walked to get changed.

- **& **-

"What!? Isn't there some kind of mistake? That's a small! I've been making Seigaku jackets all my life, but this is a first time for small and extra small! Also...stitching in the name Hikari, isn't that a girls name?"

Ryoma and Hikari walked inside the store.

"Welcome. How can I help you?" Hikari handed him, hers and Ryoma's paper for the jacket.

"Your the small sizes!?" He looked at two and laughed,

"Wow, are you freshmen?" Ryoma shrugged and took the bag, as Hikari took her bag.

"You must be Tezuka Hikari? The girl on the team?" Hikari nodded,

"It's co-ed this year." The two walked outside,

"Wow, was this just made? " Hikari looked down at their bags; Ryoma nodded,

"Yeah." Hikari looked around, noting that the sun was setting.

"Yeah, it's great Echizen. Why don't you show me how it looks? " Ryoma stared at her with a nonchalant face,

"I'll wear it at tomorrow's practice, and you have one yourself. " She looked down with a disappointed expression,

"Ah...okay, that's true. Gomen nasai, " Ryoma widened his eyes at her expression and took off his uniform top and threw it over Hikari's head, smirking he started to

change into the Seigaku jacket, Hikari took the jacket off her head and stared in awe as the wind blew the jacket and his hair. The sun's orange glow seemed to emphasize his tan skin.

"Yeah it's perfect, Geez Hikari-san. Like what you see?" Ryoma smirked as Hikari felt her cheeks radiate a lot of heat,

"O-oh shut up ! " He turned and started to walk hands in his pocket,

"Mada mada dane. " Hikari chased after him with her fist raised in the air.

"Mada mada dane? I'll show you mada mada dane!"


	6. Chapter o6

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Six : The hunch back and the fat git

* * *

"Hikari, do you want to come to Chihoko Inc. building? I have a meeting to attend to about the new tennis machines that were recently released." Kunihimi walked in the room, to see Hikari writing down some music notes on her bed. Hikari looked up and nodded, she changed into some shorts and a polo. She tied her hair into a pony tail, and walked out with Kunihimu to his sliver car.

She sat in the car looking outside the window,

"There's someone in my school named Tezuka Kunimitsu," Kunihimu tensed but stayed quiet.

"Same name as my older brother, same face, same glasses..." Hikari stared at Kunihimu.

"Is he my brother?" Kunihimu slightly nodded,

"Yes." Hikari frowned,

"it's been years." Kunihimu didn't respond,

"...Can we meet the other Tezuka family?" Kunihimu slammed the breaks at the red light, he gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. A forlorn look was present on his face as it got really quiet in the car. The lights turned green and he drove,

"We cannot visit them." Hikari fidgetted with her fingers and meekily asked,

"...Why not?"

"Because Obaa-sama will never allow it. She barely allowed us to come here." Kunihimu parked the car as Hikari stayed quiet,

"I have to go to the meeting, the tennis machines are out already so why don't you do try them out?" Kunihimu offered a small smile and Hikari returned it, she walked to the tennis rooms. She had her tennis bag and walked in hearing there was someone playing .

'He doesn't have any other hobby does he?' Hikari sweat dropped,

"Ohayo, Echizen." Ryoma blinked and stared at her, still hitting the ball Hikari took out her racket and placed money into the machine.

"Echizen, what the hell are you doing here? Don't you have anything else to do?"

"I'm practicing, why are you here?" Ryoma let his arm dropped as the machine stopped shotting out balls. He stared as Hikari hit the balls,

"My uncle wanted me to try out the new machines." Ryoma grabbed some yen and his beloved ponta. He took a gulp and counted his money.

- **& **-

"**So, I have to go back Obaa-sama?**" an old, yet femine brittish voice was heard,

"**Yes,**" Kunihimi shook his head,

"**But I just got here, what about Hikari?**"

"**This is not a request, it's an order. For Hikari, she can stay with Hikaru.**" Kunihimu clenched his fist,

"**Of course,** **When?**"

"**In a month.**"

"**Please, let us stay a little longer. Please, mother...**" The line was quiet,

"**Fine.**"

- **& **-

Ryoma walked behind Hikari and grabbed her by the shoulders,

"You slouch too much," Hikari widened her eyes as he positioned her shoulders. Hikari scowled,

"So what if I slouch too much?" Ryoma smirked,

"You'd be a hunch back," Hikari rolled her eyes but kept her back straight.

"**That will happen when you quit tennis**." Ryoma raised an eyebrow at her analogy,

"**Really now?**"Hikari nodded,

"**Yeah and then you'll be a fat git since you have no other way to exercise." **Ryoma stared at her, and Hikari began to laugh.

"**I'll be fat?" **Hikari nodded and poked his stomach.

"**Yeah and you'll be lonely**."  
"**So will you, being a hunchback," **Hikari grinned,

"**Then we'll be the best of friends!" **Hikari laughed as Ryoma muttered,

"British people..." Hikari sit down and she took out a bento box. He stared at her and shook his head, slightly chuckling. Hikari ate some of her rice ball.

- **& **-

'Hmm, where would Ryoma-kun be ? ' Sakuno walked around and saw a tennis court . She walked into the top floor to see Ryoma practicing with a tennis ball machine.

"As expected, Ryoma-kun is here." He turned around,

"What?" Sakuno's eyes widen in surprise and looked down, noting the tennis balls on the floor. Her eyes trailed to see white tennis shoes,

'Hikari-chan? She's here again...with Ryoma-kun, just like last time...'

"Grandma told me you might be here..."

"Yeah, so what is it ? " Ryoma just continued to hit the balls coming from the machine.

"Ano, do you mind if I talk ? " Sakuno asked shyly . He continued to hit the ball,

"It's okay, It's fine."

"Why did you start playing tennis?"

"I forget. When I realize it, I was playing it everyday. Even when I decided to quit, I couldn't. " Sakuno blinked,

"Why?"

"There is always an objective. " She sat down near Hikari and watch him practice,

Ryoma's stomach growled, he stopped playing and turned to Hikari-san to get some of her food. He sat down and quickly mumbled,

"Itadakimasu." He took her last rice ball.

Hikari looked up in surprise as Ryoma took the chopsticks and ate. Unscrambling her thoughts, she shook her head,

"Oi, Echizen. Get your own food! " She tried to reach for her food, but Ryoma held it up high out of her reach.

"Yada," Pouting, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes, very hungry. A few minutes later, Hikari heard Ryoma cough,

"Mada mada dane, **hunch back**. " She turned her head towards him,

"What did you say-" Ryoma ripped a part of the rice ball and into Hikari's mouth, she opened her eyes in surprise to see Ryoma closed his eyes and drank some ponta.

Ryoma looked up, the sky was turning orange. He quickly packed his things and turned to Hikari,

"Let's go." Hikari nodded and packed her things. Hikari sent a text message to Kunihimi that she was walking home. She recieved an,

"Okay, be back by dinner. We need to talk."

- **& **-

The three walked home, the sky was orange. Showing that the time was probably in the afternoon. Hikari looked to the left at the cars rushing by, probably trying to go home from their work. Hikari stood next to Ryoma as Sakuno stood slightly behind them since it was a two person side walk. She looked down at her hands,

"Ryoma-kun" He blinked,

"Huh?" Sakuno fidgeted with her fingers,

"What is this objective that you mentioned before ? " Echizen glanced at her and looked back up,

"Uh, If you don't want to answer that's fine...Gomen nasai." They stopped at the street crossing, cars zoomed by.

"There's someone I want to beat up. " Hikari looked at Echizen,

"Ha! I doubt someone as tiny as you could beat someone up."

"You're shorter than me, and probably be even shorter when you become a hunch back." Hikari scowled,

"At least I won't be a fatty!" Ryoma smirked,  
"Are you sure you aren't now?" Hikari felt her jaw drop,

"Why you little- "

"Mada Mada Dane." Hikari raised her fist in the air.

"Hey! I'll show yo-" Ryoma began to cross the street, Hikari scowled and ran after him. Sakuno stared at the two in jealously and awkwardness.

- **& **-

Hikari stuffed her hands in her pockets, her tennis bag was slightly putting more pressure on her. She took it off and reached out in it, she pulled out some strawberry pocky.

"Ta da!" Ryoma blinked at her, she opened the box and began to munch on the strawberry frosted pretzel stick. She looked up at him and gave him one, he raised an eye brow,

"That's junk food." Hikari scowled,

"So? It's good. Scared you'll actually get fat?" Hikari smirked as Ryoma stayed silent as he took the strawberry treat. Hikari reached nearby her neighborhood and she turned to Ryoma. She poked his forehead,

**"You owe me lunch**, " Ryoma blinked as she walked inside the gates of her house.

- **& **-

Hikari grinned as she laid down in bed, a knock was heard and Hikari sat up in surprise,

"Come in!" A maid came in with a smile,

"Dinner's ready." Hikari nodded and walked downstairs, to see Kunihimu already sitting down. She sat down and grabbed her fork and knife,

"You said you wanted to talk?" Kunihimu drank his wine and nodded.

"After dinner would be better." Hikari nodded, she began to eat her pasta. She occasionally shot glances at Kunihimu, noticing the tense silence.

- **& **-

'How am I suppose to tell Hikari this?' Kunihimu stared at Hikari, waiting for her to finish her sea salt ice cream dessert. She finished and wiped her mouth with the cloth, maids came and took away the plates.

"Uncle, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Kunihimu tensed up, and Hikari noticed it right away.

"How do I put this...?" Kunihimu looked down with his eyebrows furrowed, Hikari stared at his distressed face and began to worry.

"Y-You could just say it straight foward?" Kunihimu slowly looked up at her,

"In the meeting, I recieved a call, from Obaa-sama." Hikari felt her eyes widen a bit, the room got extremely silent.

"W-What did she say?" Kunihimu stared at Hikari with forlorn eyes, Hikari began to frown.

"She wants us to go back." Hikari felt her face scrunch up confused,

" What?! Why!?" Hikari stood up frantically, the chair screeched backwards and nearly fell over. Kunihimu paused a bit, unsure how to tell her.

"I don't know why..." Hikari stepped back confused,

"Why do we have to leave? We just came here! We finally got to be free..." Kunihimu frowned,

"She found records of the other Tezuka family here." Hikari clenched her fist,

"So!? What's wrong with my family?!" Kunihimu looked back at the floor, his face scrunched up in anger and regret.

"You might not know, but Obaa-sama hates Kuniharu and Kunikaze and anyone related to them." Hikari digged her nails into her palm,

"But, why? Wouldn't she hate me too?! I have the same blood as my father, Kuniharu! Kunikaze, isn't he my Oji? Why would Obaa-sama hate him!?" Kunihimu frowned and stood up,

"Hikari! You're still a child! You wouldn't understand, I'm sorry but you know we can't go against Obaa-sama's word! No one can!" Hikari stared at Kunihimu with misty eyes,

"When? When do we have to leave?" Kunihimu grabbed Hikari and hugged her,

"Not anytime soon, I made sure of that."


	7. Chapter o7

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I'm rewriting my chapters, most of them are the same story line, just better written. This one is super short, I guess this is just like a filler chapter. Gomen Nasai D: So I've deicded to make my chapters, actually like chapters. Instead of splitting up each days into chapters; likee beforee first chapter, I stopped it at Sasabi going to hit Ryoma. Yeah, now it's stopped by the end of that day (: SO THAT MEANSSS MY 20 CHAPTERS I'VE ALREADY WROTE HAVE TO BE REPLACED. SOOO I HAVE TO SPEND ALOT OF TIME, WRITING MORE MORE CHAPTERS TO FILL THE EMPTY CHAPTERS. (: SOO, ENJOY. If you squint really hard, I'm also sure you can see some jealousy.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Seven : Nashi

* * *

Hikari yawned and turned off her alarm, she smiled and walked to the bathroom. Quickly showering, she got out and put on a robe, and dried her hair into her normal curled

pigtails. She put on her uniform and walked downstairs to see Kunihimu eating breakfast,

"Ohayo!" Hikari nodded and sat down to eat her omelette, she felt truly happy, what happened last time made her feel closer to her uncle.

- **& - **

"Class. Please welcome our new addition to our class, Kamiya Tai." There were many whispers to the new kid, he had brown spikey hair and chocolate eyes came in,

"Oh, he's so cute!"

"Isn't he on the soccer team?"

"Konnichiwa, Please treat me kindly. " He bowed and many girls stared at him, Tomoko looked around to see Ryoma nearby the window, starring at the sky.

"Okay class. We're going to do a lab. Here are the assigned groups- " Hikari tuned her out and day dreamed.

"- Echizen, Tezuka, Kamiya, and Hanashimi. Alright get into your groups. " Ryoma got up over to where Tai and Hikari were standing,

"So, we're suppose to build diagrams of molecules on why ice is less dense than wa-" Hikari blinked in surprise as a boy leaned towards her face,

"Hikari-hime! I'm so glad to be working with you, My name is Hanashimi Nashi. I'm please to meet you, " The raven haired boy hugged her tightly,

"A-ano, who are you?" Nashi squeeled and hugged her even tighter,

"Kawai! I'm the president of your fan club. I remember when you told me you didn't play any sports but look at you now! Your a regular on the tennis team! " Hikari stood there confused,

"Fan...club ? " He nodded,

"Yup. I've made t-shirts! " Hikari tilted her head confused,

"I've talked to you before?" Nashi nodded,

"Yeah! Well, directly, but on the first day of school I asked you a question!" Hikari couldn't recall this. Nashi grinned wider,

"You are so perfect!" Hikari widened her eyes.

"Oh n-no ! I'm not perfect at all, I can't cook. I can't swim, I suck at basketball, I have no sense of direct- " Nashi let go of her, and held her hand with stars in his eyes,

"And your so modest!" Hikari stared as Tai coughed,

"Anyways, back to our work. Hanashimi-san, please go get the materials. " Nashi nodded and left, Ryoma stared at Nashi with an impassive face.

'Mada mada dane,'

- **& - **

"See ya later Hikari-hime ! " Nashi waved happily to Hikari, she sweat dropped but waved back.

"Oi, Let's go Tezuka-san." Ryoma walked by with an annoyed expresion. Hikari looked up confused and quickly followed, When they reached the two seperate locker

rooms, Ryoma went inside the locker rooms without a word. Hikari raised an eyebrow and went inside to change.

- **& ** -

Hikari sat in class completely bored,

'Another day of my boring life,' The school bell rang signalling it was time for lunch. Hikari put her things in her desk and took out her lunch box.

"Hikari-hime!" Hikari turned to get hugged by Nashi,

"Let's eat lunch together!" Hikari sweatdropped as she saw a bunch of other boys behind Nashi with posters that had her name on it, along with hearts.

"A-ano, okay." Ryoma left the room, Hikari stared at him confused as the boys began to surrond her, blocking her view from him.

"Hikari-himi! Try some of my lunch!"

- **& - **

"Eh? Echizen!" Ryoma slowly turned his head to see Momoshiro running towards him, Ryoma stepped up in the line he was in.

"You forgot your lunch?" Momoshiro stood beside him, Ryoma nodded.

"Oh, well I'm going to buy my lunch. Wanna join me?" Ryoma shrugged as Momoshiro grinned,

"Great! Hmm, now that I notice this. I never see you at lunch, where do you go?" Ryoma slightly winced at the question, he ignored him and walked up to the lunch lady,

"Can I have some onigiri, ponta-" Momoshiro raised an eyebrow, noticing the small wince.

'What's wrong with Echizen?'


	8. Chapter o8

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Eight : You Still Have A Long Way To Go

* * *

Hikari walked downstairs, dressed in her white tennis outfit with her hair into two low pigtails; tied with white ribbons. She placed her tennis bag nearby the door as she sat down to eat some breakfast. Kunihimu sat infront of her, eating his own breakfast. Hikari quickly ate her food, as Kunihimu stared at her in surprise.  
"Uncle, Can I go play tennis with some friends?" He raised his eyebrows

"Where?" Hikari swallowed the last bit of bacon,

"Seishundai Tennis Club." Sighing he nodded, Hikari jumped out of her seat and bowed,

"I'll be going then!" She quickly grabbed her things and left.

- **& - **

"Kachiro, your dad must be amazing. Coaching at such a great tennis club, " Kachiro smiled,

"Heh, it's nothing big. He's just an ordinary coach." Hikari walked up towards them,

"Sorry I'm late. " Ryoma yawned, right after Tomoko and Sakuno ran to them.

"Osakda, what's with the big bag? " Tomoko turned her bagged and smiled,

"Packed lunches." Kachiro pointed at her bag,

"Don't tell me only one's person going to eat all that."

"Of course not, it's everyone's share. In my house, I have so many siblings. I'm used to feeding this many people. Hey Ryoma-sama, Practice steadily. Okay? Eat alot of

my affection-filled lunch, I spent the week devising the menu, so I'm very confident about this." Tomoko walked up to Ryoma, Hikari blinked in surprise,

"Oh no, I was in such a hurry I forgot my lunch." Sakuno shyly tapped Hikari's shoulder,

"I made extra lunch, you can have some of it." Hikari smiled,

"Thank you Sakuno-san, what could I do to repay you?" Sakuno blushed and looked down, she whispered something. Hikari tilted her head confuse,

"Sorry, can you speak up louder?" Sakuno looked up,

"I was wondering, if you can help me practice today. I mean, if that's what you want- " Hikari blinked and smiled sheepishly,

"I'm still learning myself. But I can try my best! " Sakuno smied and nodded her head, Horio stared at Tomoko annoyed,

"Who told them about coming here? I only told Hikari-chan and Echizen. "

"Who knows..." Kachiro turned to them,

"I did, isn't it more fun with more people? Momo-chan-senpai said he was going to come too. " Horio eye's widen,

"Momo-chan-senpai, too? " Kachiro smiled and opened his mouth,

"Kachiro." A man waved at him ,

"Ah, Otou-san."

"Good, you all came."

"Konnichiwa!" a chorus reply came. The Kachiro's dad looked at Hikari and Echizen,

"You're Echizen-kun and Hikari-chan ? From my son, I've heard rumors that you're incredibly strong. " Hikari shooked her head as Ryoma stared,

"Oh..." Kachiro's dad turned back to the rest of the group,

"Anyway, today is going to be fun. I'll show you the courts. " They all began walked towards the court.

"You can use this court. " Horio looked around,

"Wow, being able to use such spacious courts.." Horio turned to Ryoma,

"Hey Ryoma, teach me the Twist serve. "

"Don't wanna." Tomoko cupped her hands about her mouth,

"Go, Ryoma-sama!"

"Coach Katou. " Katou turned around,

"I'm counting on you for today's lesson." A man with a yellow sweatervest stared at him,

"Yes, Sasabe-sama. Please wait for me at F court. " Sasabe narrowed his eyes,

"F court, what are you saying ? This A court is good. Why do I have to walk all the way to F court. We're playing here, that's okay right ? Bring that bag over to the lockers.

It'll get dirty if you leave it on the ground, " Sasabe threw his bag at Katou.

"Who was that man, " Kachiro stared at his dad,

"A regular customer, a jerk who does whatever he wants. " Kachiro sighed,

"It's okay if we go to F court."

"Sorry, let's all switch to F court." Hikari took a swig of her apple juice next to Ryoma.

"There are guys like that everywhere. "

- **& - **

Ryoma hit the ball,

"Echizen, let's rest a bit. I'm exhausted." Horio fell to the floor, beat.

"You shoot your mouth off, yet you don't have any stamina." Ryoma put his racket on his shoulder,

"Shut up." Horio took big breaths. Hikari stepped up,

"Oi, Echizen. Let's play a set, "

"What'd you say !? Are you listening to me ? " Everyone turned their heads to the voice,

"Seems to be coming from Court A, let's check it out. " Everyone walked towards court A,

"Stop being so fussy, I'm not taking this from you." There stood Katou and some other people around him with their arms crossed,

"I didn't come here for this. I wanna play, I already had enough warm ups. Coach Katou, I used to be inter-high school semi-finalist. Can't you teach me according to my

level. Forget the reach and teach me a professionial level top spin. " He tapped Katou's shoulder,

"What? You can't do it? People said you give up tennis due to the son in is Seigku's tennis club. In three years all he'll end up being is a ballboy. It's hard for

guys with no talent, isn't it? " Katou looked down angry,

"I heard Seigaku got two freshmen on their team, and one's a girl! They're going down the tubes, too." Ryoma and Hikari stepped up but was stopped by Kachiro and

Sakuno,

"Wait, Ryoma-kun." They turned back to the scene,

"I'm fine if it's me, but if you talk trash about my son and his school, I won't be silent about this." Sasabe clenched his fist,

"What's this attutide. Being rude to the customers? Can't even take a joke,"

"Hey pops, what are you doing." A teen walked down,

"That guy!" Sakuno looked down as Hikari and Ryoma sat down on the hill, Ryoma smirked.

"Hey, you remember the grip, right ? The proper grip to hold that racket. " All eyes turned to the two,

"Do you remember it?" Hikari asked looked down at them, Sasabe's eyes widened,

"Do you know eachother? " Sasabe's father looked at his son,

"I have no idea..." Ryoma interuppted their conversation,

"Hey mister, Can you teach me some tennis?" Hikari raised an eyebrow at Ryoma,

'What are you saying ? '

"You want me to teach you tennis? " He held a smug look on his face,

"Pops, you shouldn't..." He turned to his son.

"What did you say? What're your saying, that kid isn't satisfied with the coaches here and needs help from me." Sasabe stared a bit unsure, Sasabe's father turned to

Ryoma.

"I'll show you the former inter-high semi-finalist's incredible moves. "

- **& - **

Ryoma bounced the ball up and down as someone in the high chair announced,

"The best of one set match, Echizen service play." Sasabe's father looked at Ryoma,

"Try your best, okay?" Ryoma threw the ball up and served with his right hand,

"You've got some moves, Good, good." Echizen hit the ball back as Sasabe's father continued to talk,

"You don't have to hold back with me, aim for this old man's chest with your best shot. " Ryoma continued to play normally,

"Why didn't Ryoma-kun use his twist serve?" Kachiro looked confused, Katou shook his head.

"I see, Echizen-kun is a very intelligent player. That's why he hits an ordinary serve at the beginning, no matter how good the player, He can't win without knowing the

opponent. He's gathering information on his opponent as we speak. Impressive, " Ryoma hit the ball into the corner,

"Weak, " Sasabe's father returned it,

"I'm not so weak!" The ball passed Echizen,

"15-love ." Sasabe cheered,

"You did it pops!" Ryoma stood there and stared,

"Hey kid I'm waiting for you." Ryoma threw the ball and hit it, Sasabe's father returned it as Ryoma ran to the ball and returned it. Sasabe's father quickly ran towards the ball,

"0-30." Katou crossed his arms,

"That's the retreiever." Sasabe's father smugly smirked,

"Try to beat that kid!" Ryoma stared at him

"You heard of golden retriever, In other words. "Retriever " is a hunting always receieves the ball. " Ryoma stared at him,

"There's no ball that I can't catch kid, " Sasabe smirked,

"You'll finally get what you deserve brat. " Sasabe's father grinned with his gold tooth,

"If I get more points because of that it's all good," Ryoma threw up the ball,

"Is that so ? " He and Sasabe's rallied, Ryoma went up front.

"Heh, you fell for it." Sasabe's father hit the ball to the bass line,

"Game count 1-0" Sasabe's dad smirked as Ryoma broke a sweat.

"I see, so that's what's going on." Ryoma returned the ball and ran to the net, running the ball.

"0-15" Sasabe's fathered grinded his teeth annoyed,

"From the beginning you've stuck close to the baseline, haven't you?" Ryoma smirked,

"Why don't you come to the net once in a while?" Sasabe's glared at Ryoma,

"Shut up!" He served the ball, Ryoma ran towards the front.

"A retriever's weakness is going up front, that's why you stayed in the back right? " Echizen went to hit the ball as Sasabe's dad cursed and ran up the net also, Ryoma

smirked,

"Mada mada dane. " He hit the ball over his head.

"Game won by Echizen!" Sasabe's father fall to the ground,

"Ouch, ouch! My leg!" Ryoma passed by,

"You didn't warm up properly and that's why you pulled your muscle. That's why you couldn't become the inter-highschool champion, isn't that right? Both, you and your

son should start over from the basics. " Ryoma closed his eyes and walked up to Hikari, giving her thumbs up. Hikari chuckled and returned the gesture,

"As to be expected from a Seigaku regular, Echizen-kun. " The two Sasabe's looked at him in shock,

"Seigaku regular? Can it be that first year regular is...? " Ryoma turned back around to them and flashed a teeth opened smile. The two got up and walked up,

"You did it! Ryoma-sama. " Tomoko cheered.

- **& - **

"You're really skilled at cooking , Osakada-san." Kachiro took another bite out of the onigiri. She did the peace sign and smiled,

"Hehe, just enoy the food." Hikari and Echizen were in other table, watching the other's play as Sakuno stood there. Hikari took some of Ryoma's food as she watched as the guys backhanded the ball weakly, and pointed it to him. Sakuno walked played with her fingers,

"How's does it taste?" Ryoma stared at the player,

"Mada Mada dane." Hikari nodded her head,

"You said it..." Sakuno cried in despair and took her bento, she ran away crying.

"His back swing is weak, " Ryoma went to take another bite,

"Oh, lunch...?" He turned to Hikari, She looked down to see it gone,

"Eh ? HEY! ECHIZEN, WHAT'D YOU DO!? DEVOUR THE BOX WHY DON'T YOU?!" Ryoma closed his eyes,

" Don't blame it on me that you didn't play attention and ate the whole box." Hikari glared at Ryoma.

"Urusei, fatty! I didn't eat the whole box, you-" The trio looked at the scene with a blank expression,

"Those two are..." Kachiro nodded his head,

"Right. "

"Kinda...slow,"

"Aren't they? "

"Yeah."

- **& - **

Sakuno ran back home trying to wipe her tears,

"Ryoma-kun, You Idiot! Why so mean Hikari-chan!?"


	9. Chapter o9

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. November Stats: For the month of 2009-11, there have been a total of 695 Hits and 217 Visitors to story: Can't Stop Thinking Of You. I'm so happy ~ it's nice to know people are reading my story.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Nine : Doubles For Beginners

* * *

The school bell rang, signalling that school was over. Hikari packed her things and got up,

'Wow, the week passed by really fast.' Hikari let out a small yell of surprise,

"Hikari-hime!" Hikari nearly fell from the impact of Nashi's hug,

"How are you today?" Hikari sweatdropped,

"Fine I suppose. " Nashi let go of her and held her hand,

"The Preliminaries are almost here right ? I'll cheer you on! " Hikari tilted her head,

'What's there to cheer for ? '

"Okay Class, Let's clean up. Oi! Horio! Don't touch tha-" Ryoma waited for Hikari by the door,

"Tezuka-san, let's go." Hikari nodded and walked out with Ryoma.

"There's no practice today, let's go somewhere fun!" Hikari nudged Ryoma as he shook his head.

"I heard there's this really good burger joint somewhere! " Ryoma froze and nodded his head,

"Lead the way." Hikari sweatdropped,

"I don't know where it is...but don't you owe me lunch anyways !? " Ryoma sighed,  
"Lets go,"

- **& - **

Hikari and Ryoma stood in line looking at menu,

"Oi," They turned around,

"Momo-senpai." He waved his hand and smiled,

"Yo, Hikari-chan. Echizen. What are you doing here? " Momo glanced at Hikari as Ryoma turned his attention back to the menu,

"On a date? " Hikari widen her eyes in surprise as Ryoma said,

"There's nothing else to do at a hamburger shop. " in unison. Momo laughed,

"So you are on a date, " Hikari shooked her head,

"N-no, You've got it wro-" A girl with short auburn hair came up,

"You guys are in the Seigaku tennis club? " They turned their heads to her,

"That's right." She smiled,

"It seems that regulars have already been decided for the preliminaries, haven't they? Could it be that you two are regulars?"

"Eh? Three, Hikari-chan here is our female freshmen player." she blinked in surprised,

"Honto ne? Even though you don't advertise it, You can always tell. Seigaku's no.1 singles regular is the captain, Tezuka-san. No.2 is Fuji-san, isn't he?" Momoshiro

blinked in surprise,

"Wow, You're knowledgeable. " She laughed,

"That's because Seigaku regulars are so famous. But who the remaning no.3 position is going to, try your best you three." The girl laughed and left as the

cashier lady cleared her throat,

"The waiting customers please come over here. Excuse me, please place your order."

"Cheese burger and a large cola. " The three looked at eachother in surprise, Momoshiro turned to the cashier.

"I want two cheeseburgers and a cola. " Ryoma also turned to the cashier,

"I want three cheeseburgers after all." Momoshiro slammed his hands on the counter,

"Add fries and make it a large." Ryoma pushed Momoshiro,

"Chicken and after that a shake too." The lady sweat dropped as Momoshiro pushed Ryoma back,

"Change all the cheese burgers to doubles. Because I get so hungry from the tennis club. " Ryoma tried to push Momoshiro, but he resisted.

"Double what I ordered before. Because my training style is different from his." Hikari squeezed in between the two.

"I just want a cheeseburger and a freaking large coke! " Hikari slammed her fist into the counters. The cashier looked up a bit startled,

"H-hai !"

- **& - **

The three sat down with their trays; Ryoma and Momo looked at eachother, and proceeded to stuff their faces with the good. Hikari sweatdropped

as they ferociously devoured the hamburgers, she looked at their trays and face palmed,

"Buy the whole menu why don't you? Oi, Slow down. You'll choke! " The two stopped chewing for a moment and stared at her,

"No way! From now on, all of your opinions are rejected." They two went back into eating, Hikari felt as though she popped a vein,

"Oi, Don't talk to me like I'm some sort of damsel in distress! " The two ignored her and glared at eachother,

- **& - **

Hikari sighed as they leaned against the ramps,

"I ate way too much."

"It's because you're stubborn, Momo-senpai." Momo scrunched his nose,

"What about you? Ow. painful. Hey, what that girl said before...No.1 and 2 are Fuji and Tezuka. Next, the no.1 doubles team is..Eiji and Oishi- senpai. Last year they were even the national golden pair. The ones left are Taka-san, Mamushi, Hikari-chan, me and you which makes five. Open spots for singles player. Two doubles and One alternate...And if that happens then, The no.3 player in the singles match is probably gonna be me." The two glared at eachother for saying the same thing.

"As I thought, your goal is third string singles, too. Doubles doesn't suit me at all. It's up to the old lady to decide anyways, right? " Momo sighed,

"That old lady always waits until the last minute before every game to decide. " Hikari crossed her legs,

"I can't wait for tomorrow, " The two nodded. Ryoma stood up,

"Then let's decide it between the two of us."

"Good idea." Ryoma blinked,

"You're really quick to fight it out, aren't you." Hikari punched both of them in the arms,

"Let's find a place where the courts are still open."

- **& - **

"This looks like street tennis." The three stood in front of the courts, Ryoma blinked.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Hikari looked around as Momoshiro walked up to someone,

"Excuse me is there a fee," The person shook their head,

"Nope it's free." Hikari sweat dropped,

'Why would there be a fee?'

"Hi! " The three turned around to see the girl from before waving at them,

"Haven't seen your faces around, this your first time ? " Some guys stood in front of them.

"Yeah."

"More people are coming here, eh?" The honey haired guy turned to the raven hair guy,

"And we only have one court too. Do you two know the rules for this place?"

"Not really. There guys are kind irritating, aren't they?"

"After you lose a one game match, it'll shift to the next pair, It's like that."

"Sounds interesting! I'll go first Echizen."

"By the way, this is doubles only." Hikari looked at them as they got up to the courts to play.

'This has to be interesting,'

"Momoshiro-Echizen service play." Hikari sat down next to the girl from before.

"A middle scholar and a elementary student. This has to be too easy." The opponents laughed. Ryoma narrowed his eyes,

"Who'd you say was in an elementary school?"

"Your opponents are high school guys. But hang in there, bro. You don't wanna lose face in front of your girlfriend." Momo turned around,

"Yo, Echizen. Don't hold back. Hit them with that move, got it? " Ryoma bounced the ball, as the high scholars stared,

"At least his form is good." Ryoma served and the boy stepped back in surprise as the ball almost hit his face. Everyone stared in shock,

"Whoa, what was that ? Sugoi!" Ryoma got another ball and bounced it,

"15-love." Echizen served again, as the girl from before smiled and looked at Hikari,

"Sugoi. Hey, which one of them is your boyfriend? I bet it's the black-green haired boy. " Hikari blinked in surprised,

"What ? None of them ar-"

"Game won by Momoshiro-Echizen Pair ! " Everyone whispered to eachother

"They won only by serves." Momoshiro smiled,

"Come on, who's next ? " Hikari sweatdropped,

'Of course Momo-senpai would say that.'

"Game won by Momoshiro-Echizen pair! " They continued to win, the two from before came up,

"We'll challenge you!"

The raven haired boy served right into the middle. Momo and Ryoma ran towards the middle,

"15-love." Ryoma looked up at Momo.

"That one was close enough for me to get."

"In this situation, the person who's hitting forehand should get it." Momoshiro narrowed his eyes. The guy served towards Momoshiro, and he returned. Then the guy hit it

back towards he middle. This continued for a while,

"40-0" Ryoma pointed towards the line.

"The boundary lines for doubles is there right." Momoshiro stared,

"So what?" Ryoma scratched his head,

"It's hard since it's my first time." Momoshiro stared at him.

"First time!? No way! " Ryoma turned towards Momo,

"Does it look like I've played doubles before?" The two got back into positions,

"Echizen, we can't lose like this." The guy served and Momo returned as the two returned it.

"Game won by Fukawa-Izumi Pair." The two stared in surprise.

"Eh ? It's over already ? But we didn't even do anything. "

- **& - **

Hikari sighed and waited as the two changed back into their school uniforms.

"Are you going home now?" The girl from before came up,

"We lost, so there's nothing we can do. " She smiled,

"You guys weren't any sort of competition at all. I was expecting more since you're regulars from Seigaku. Oh, and you!" The girl pointed at Hikari,

"Tell me which one's who the next time we meet!" Hikari blushed as Momoshiro and Ryoma stared at eachother confused, The girl walked away and Hikari shook her head.

"Let's go." The three walked home after hearing the two opponents from before talk how they weren't in sync,

"Hey Echizen. I take back what I said before." Ryoma smirked,

"Me too. "

"As I thought, Real men should play doubles." Hikari sweat dropped at their unison.

- **& - **

"Ano, Tezuka-san. Please wait outside, " She crossed her arms,

"No way. I need to buy something in there too." Momo had parted way at some intersection as they all walked home, and now the do stood outside of a bookstore. Ryoma sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as they walked inside the store,

"Welcome." Hikari went towards the back to look at books as Ryoma went up to cashier.

"860 yen. " The lady smiled as Hikari walked up towards them hearing the some girls giggle,

"It said 'Doubles for Beginners.' " The two girls looked at him.

"A beginner, how cute!" The girl hushed the other,

"He can hear you, you know. " Hikari turned to Ryoma to see him blush. She raised an eyebrow confused at his blush,

'Echizen...blushing?' He grabbed her hand and rushed out,

"Thank you very much." The lady called out to the two. Hikari was dragged out, but not before hearing the girls from before squeel really loudly,

"Aw! He has such a kawai girlfriend too! Is he going to teach her doubles? " Hikari blushed as they walked out.


	10. Chapter 1o

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. Onomnomnom!~ I'm munching on the fluffiness of ryomaXhikari (: **

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Ten : Preliminary Matches

* * *

Hikari walked down stairs after she finished showering, Kunihimu was eating his breakfast.

"Ohayo!" He smiled,

"Ohayo Hikari-chan. You have you're matches today, right?" Hikari nodded.

"Yup! I'm so excited." Kunihimu chuckled,

"Well come on, eat your breakfast. You can win the preliminaries on an empty stomach!"

Hikari wiped her mouth with a cloth and stood up,

"I'll be going now! Bye!" Hikari put on her shoes and grabbed her tennis bag.

"Good luck! " Hikari smiled and walked outside with a map in her hands.

- **& - **

'Hmm, so I go left then take a right turn at-'

"Ohayo, Hikari-chan." Hikari turned around to see Fuji,

"Fuji-senpai."

"Let's walk together." Hikari nodded and walked with Fuji,

"So are you ready for today Hikari-chan? " Hikari shook her head,

"I doubt I'm in the matches. So there's no need for me to get ready, how about you Fuji-senpai? I heard you were singles no.2"

"Don't count yourself out befor-" A red car honked and stopped besides them, the window rolled down,

"Syusuke, Need a ride." Fuji turned towards the car,

"Arigato, Nee-san." Hikari hesitantly got into the car,

"Syuusuke, You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend. " Hikari shook her and blushed,

"It's not what-" Fuji turned towards her with a funny looking facial expression, Hikari stopped and stared at him. Her lips twitched and she began laughing,

"F-Fuji-senpai, What are you doing? " Hearing those words, his sister grinned,

"Hey! Keep it PG back there. " Hikari stopped and looked at the driver,

"It's not like that!"

- **& - **

"Ryoma. Aren't you going to be late? " Ryoma's mom put some eggs on his plate,

"Seigaku is the first seed, so I can be late for one hour. Plus Momo-senpai is picking me up. Hey mom, we're not having Japanese food today?" Ryoma bit into his bread,

"Yeah, Aunt likes western food." Ryoma made a face but continued to eat, Nanjiro looked up from his newpaper.

"You're finally a regular? " Ryoma took a sip of his milk,

"Hrmm..I don't know. I'll be leaving now." Ryoma got up and walked to meet up with Momoshiro.

- **& - **

Hikari and Fuji meet up with the other regulars, they walked up towards the entry stand and Tezuka handed them a paper,

"Here are the registration applications for the nine regular members for Seigaku High school." Many whispers were heard from the people standing around the team.

"Damn, it's Seigaku, and they look tough."

"Ahh! it's Tezuka-san! "

"Eh, is that a freshmen? Wait, two? A girl and boy."

"The girl's probably a cheerleader."

"What's she doing wearing the jacket then."

"Maybe she's one of their girlfriends."

- **& - **

The team sat down and and began to unpack for things. Kikumaru took out a towel and passed it to Oishi, with Oishi passing him a water bottle,

"Here." Eiji took and smiled,

"Sankyuu." Hikari stared at how in sync they were,

"Hey Echizen, Can you give me that? " Ryoma looked at Momoshiro,

"What's 'that'?" Momoshiro pointed to Ryoma. Oishi and Hikari sweatdropped at the two,

"That! The towel under your ass! " Ryoma looked down and picked up the towel. Hikari got out her bag of sliced apples and took one out towards Ryoma and he

passed her a water bottle. Oishi shook his head,

'Hikari-chan and Echizen-kun are much more in sync.'

- **& - **

"First singles match, Fuji of Seigaku and Suzuki of Gyokurin!" The teams stood in lines across from eachother,

"5 matches are played. In order to win, 3 matches must be won. This is Seigaku's first match, even if someone wins, all 5 matches will be played. All matches are one set."

- **& - **

"First match, in double. Seigaku's Momoshiro and Echizen pair. Gyokurin's Izumi and Fukawa pair." The pairs walked on the court and shook hands. Hikari watches as

the two Seigaku doubles bumped hands,

"Echizen, Let's go with the AH-UN strategy. " They all got into their positions after warming up,

"One set match, Gokurin, Izumi to serve. " Many cheered at the people playing, Izumi threw the ball and served, Ryoma returned it, Izumi smirked and hit it towards the

middle. Both of them ran towards the middle,

"Ah!"

"Un." Momoshiro returned the ball.

"0-15" Hikari stared at them confused,

' Weren't they horrible a few days ago ? ' Ryoma and Momo tapped eachother's racket,

"Works like a charm. "

"0-30" They continued to score. Momoshiro smiled ,

"Our blooming doubles technique, It's all thanks to me! " Ryoma stared blankly at Momoshiro. Izumi served again, dropping the ball at the line. Ryoma ran back and

returned it, leaving the other side open. They hit there and both ran towards the ball, Ryoma dropped his hat.

"15-30" Hikari turned towards Eiji who was stiffling a laugh, Hikari looked back at them and started to laugh, with Eiji laughing after her.

"There's no teamwork anywhere besides the mid court." Izumi served again, they ran close up towards the net as Momoshiro returned it. The ball passed Ryoma,

"30-30" Izumi served, as Ryoma returned it. Izumi hit it back as Ryoma went to hit it,

"Don't exert yourself too much." Momo returned the ball for him, but it left the other side open.

"40-30"

"Game, Gyorukin 1-0" The two pairs high fived themselves. As Seigaku's pair looked annoyed.

- **& - **

Hikari stared as Ryoma and Momo got owned in the game,

"Game, Gyorukin. " Ryoma turned towards Momoshiro,

"Wasn't that my ball just now?" Momoshiro tapped his racket,

"The person in the front can hit too !" Ryoma looked away annoyed,

"If you can't hit a winner, then you shouldn't have hit it." Momoshiro turned towards Ryoma,

"What did you say? Got a problem with that? " The two glared at eachother, Hikari facepalmed and looked at Fuji.

"They're not in sync at all." Fuji chuckled and picked up Ryoma's bag to put it somewhere. A green book fell out as everyone looked at it,

"In Ryoma-kun's bag, Doubles for beginners. EH!? YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" Hikari laughed at the book.

'Hm, isn't that the same book Echizen bought that day..' Hikari blushed remembering the incident.

- **& - **

"Game Gyokurin, Change court." Ryoma and Momo walked up to Coach Ryuzaki, Hikari watched as they got into another argument.

"Would you guys stop? " Coach Ryuzaki crossed her arms as the Gyokurin pair walked by,

"This is pitiful." Ryoma and Momo looked at the two with scowls and glares.

"Don't lose your cool!" The two went back into the courts, with Momoshiro to serve. Momoshiro served and hit Ryoma with the ball, Hikari bursted out laughing. Needing air

she began to choke. Fuji patted her back as Momoshiro chuckled nervously as Ryoma turned around a glare at him

"Fault."

"Sorry sorry, " Ryoma scowled,

"It's okay..." Momo served again and Ryoma hit it over, accidently hitting Momo with it. Hikari spit out the water she was drinking and started laughing even more this time

leaning on Fuji for support. Ryoma froze in position, with eyes wide. Momoshiro turned around and glared at him,

"0-15" Ryoma tipped his hat to avoid looks.

"They are really losing it, They can't concentrate on the match at all. On top of that, they're in duel mode. " Ryoma and Momo stared at each other annoyed, Both turned

around and dragged their rackets to make a line; meeting up with eachother.

"What? Momo-senpai thinking of the same thing? " Two of them smirked,

"Let's stop this confusing thing," Ryoma put his racket on his shoulder,

"All the balls that comes to this side of the line, I'll hit. I'll leave that side to you. " Momoshiro nodded as Ryoma turned around,

"And one more thing, don't come to this side." Momoshiro turned around,

"Even if you ask, I won't go in there." The two got ready , Momoshiro served, Ryoma returned it. This continued as the ball went on either Momo's or Ryoma's side. The

ball went on Ryoma's side this time and he ran towards it,

"What is this ? Now that I look closely, there is a hole."

They continued to play like that,

"Game won by Seigaku, " The two high fived eachother,

"Nice shot. "

"Yeah." Fuwaka bounced the ball and served, It went towards Momoshiro's side. They both ran up towards the net again, Momoshiro returned it. Ryoma ran towards the

ball when it hit his side, He hit a high lob and the guy returned it with a high lob also. Momoshiro jumped up,

"Dunk Smash!" He hit it down, the two Seigaku pairs smiled.

- **& - **

Ryoma returned the ball,

"Don't return it, it's going to be out." The Gyokurin smirked, Ryoma smirked as the ball curved in.

"Doubles is pretty fun." Hikari huffed,

'What a show off..'

"That's not really doubles." Izumi scowled, the two smirked,

"Hey hey. hit it."

"Come on." Fuwaka hit the ball towards the middle smirking, Izumi blinked in surprise,

"Idiot! Thats..." Both of the two ran towards the ball,

"Ah!"

"Un! " Momoshiro returned the ball,

"Game and match, Seigaku. "The two tapped their racket's,

"Of course if you're a man, It's doubles." Hikari face palmed,

"I can't believe they won..." The pairs came up the net,

"You guys are ridiculous." Momoshiro closed his eyes,"

"I told you we learn fast."

"Hm, you guys sure can talk. If you ever want to play doubles again, just come to the street tennis court." Momo and Ryoma looked at eachother,

"Should we go again?"

"Sure." They shooked hands. The two walked back to Coach Ryuzaki, only to get pulled by their cheeks,

"Baka! Good thing you won, but think about the people that are sitting here watching the game. " The two scowled with flushed faces,

"I'm not playing doubles anymore."

"Me too." Hikari laughed and patted their heads, they swatted her hands away and looked as Oishi and Kikumaru, As they destroyed the other team.

"Game and Match, Seigaku 6-0."

"Don't mind, Don't mind. There is nothing we can do about doubles! We'll win with singles." One of Gyokurin patted the girls back,

"Good luck!" Coach Ryuzaki turned to Hikari,

"Hikari-chan get up there." Hikari dropped everything and frozed

"W-what?"

"You're singles three." Hikari felt her heart skip a beat,

"Why?! Why not Kaidoh or Taka-san? I don't think I'm ready for this. " Tezuka crossed his arms and stared at her.

"F-fine!" Hikari gulped and shakily got her racket out.

"Single no.3 match shall proceed. Tezuka Hikari vs. Minamoto Tori. Tezuka to serve." Hikari shakily threw up the ball and served,

"Fault. " Hikari looked down ashamed but threw the ball up again,

"0-15" Hikari cursed and continued to serve.

- **& - **

Hikari hit the ball, barely over the net, and Minamoto returned it. Hikari ran towards the ball and hit it close towards the baseline.

"Game won by Tezuka " Hikari panted in relief, the score was 5-5 now.

"Switch sides," Hikari switched sides with the girl, 'She's very good. But I can't let the team down....'

- **& - **

Hikari watched as she served the ball and ran towards the ball,

'I can't miss this point, or it's over!' Hikari returned it, resulting a long rally. The girl hit it over really fast over to the baseline, Hikari ran towards it and missed a step. She fell hitting the ball, she watch the ball go over the net. The team stood up, anxious.

"Game and match. Minamoto wins, 7-5." Hikari cursed at the ball, it hit the tip of the net, but fall back over the her side. She shook hands with the person and walked back

towards the team.

"Nice game, Hikari-chan." Eiji put a hand on her shoulder, she nodded and shrugged his hand off.

"I'll be back." She pick up her water bottle and left. The team watched as she left, Takashi stood up and walked towards the court. Ryoma stared at Hikari's leaving figure.

- **& - **

Hikari walked into a warm up court, but no one there cause they were either in a match or watching one. She got out her racket and a tennis ball. She threw it up and began to hit it against the wall.

- **& - **

Takashi walked up nervously,

"Oi, Takashi. You forgot your racket, " Oishi threw it towards him.

"Oh, sorry Oishi-san." The opponent snickered,

"Come on, Great! I feel the fire burning! " The guy widen his eyes in surprise.

"Game won by Seigaku." Fuji got up to play, Ryoma suddenly got up and left without a word.

- **& - **

Hikari frowned with her nose scrunched as she threw the ball,

"How can I win _any_ match by serving like this!? " Hikari grabbed another ball and hit it against the wall

"Or by returning like this!? " Hikari tripped and she stayed on the ground. She felt angry and pounded her fist against the floor, she shakily got up and felt angry tears brim,

"How could I have _possibly_ let the team _down_!? " She felt a hand on her hand and another on her shoulder.

"Listen, Hikari. You swing a racket like this." She felt the person move her into swinging the racket differently from before,

"Right. Swing it like this." She felt a tear escape and she turned to see Ryoma. She bowed her head and kneeled down, her shoulders shook as she tried to hold

her tears. Ryoma frowned and bent down to her,

"Don't brood over it like this, You are doing well for a beginner. " Hikari snapped her head up angry,

"No, I'm _not_ good enough, " Ryoma stared at her as she looked down,

"If I want to win against someone, my strength..._No_. I'm lacking everything. I couldn't even hit the ball over the net-" Hikari bowed her head. Ryoma sighed and grabbed her

chin so she can look at him.

"That's enough, You resemble myself when I play against my dad. " Hikari looked at him with tears in her eyes, he grabbed her and hugged her. Hikari widen her eyes as

Ryoma picked her up from the ground. He turned her around and grabbed her racket. He placed it in her hand and made her swing it.

"Just like this, and you'll be better." Hikari smiled,

"Arigatou...Ryoma."

- **& - **

"Game and match, Seigaku. " Fuji smiled and walked back into line. Hikari and Ryoma walked back to the court, pontas in their hands.

"Doubles 2-8, singles 2-1." Everyone stood in lines across from the team.

"Total is 4-1, Seigaku wins. Bow once." Everyone bowed,

"Arigatou."

Everyone left for a lunch break for the next matches, Hikari sat next to Ryoma who was drinking his ponta and was hitting a bouncing the ball with the side of his racket.

She sweatdropped and got out her bag of apples. Hikari went to get her water bottle as a team passed by staring at Ryoma. The guy in the back was doing the same

thing, except he wasn't drinking anything. Hikari looked up to see the team, startled she lost some grip on her water bottle but caught it. She looked at Ryoma and the team,

'Awkward...'

"Eh, Echizen is provoking them." The trio looked at the scene, The team captain turned around and walked away,

"Let's go." Hikari noticed that Ryoma had his legs crossed like a girl,

"Oi, Echizen. Doesn't that hurt. " He ignored her and took the the can away from his lips,

"Mada Mada Dane." The team continuing walked,

"Looks interesting Shinji." Hikari grabbed Ryoma's leg and pushed it out,

"That is how your suppose to sit. " Ryoma looked at her and blinked, slightly embarassed.

- **& - **

Everyone gathered up around Coach Ryuzaki,

"Understand this, We'll face Fudomine in the finals. And they're nothing like the opponents we've been facing."

"Hai!"

"It's final, Double 2: Fuji and Kawamura. Go get the first win. Doubles 1: Oishi and Kikumaru. Single 3: Kaidoh, don't lose." Hikari flinched at that,

"-Single 2: Ryoma, Go wild. Single 1: Tezuka. " The team nodded and walked away towards the courts,

"One set match, Fudomine's Sakurai to serve."

"Good ! I feel the fire BURNING !" Taka ran towards the ball and returned it,

"30-15" The crowd gasped as they made a point, Ryoma shook his leg. The captain got up and left,

"Isn't he captain ? Shouldn't he stay seated during the match ? "

"Ah, it's surprising,"

"What confidence, Doesn't even need to watch?" Fuji turned to Tezuka, with his smile still on his face.

"Tezuka, you were insulted."

"It's an Ace!" Everyone widened their eyes to the match,

"40-15"

Hikari watched as the two doubles continously rally it out, Hikari gasped as Fuji opened his eyes.

"The captain is back, " Everyone looked. Ryoma leaned back,

"He did that on purpose."

"On purpose? What do you mean?"

"It was a good psychological strategy, captain leaving during an important match. Fudomine was given a greater pressure by the absence of their captain, "

Fuji looked at the ball and returned it, the Ball zoomed by and rolled towards the net.

"That was one of Fuji's three triple counter moves called, "the shallow return." This counter slice shot utilizes the original spin of the ball, in addiction to the spin in the same direction. Tennis prodigy, Fuji Syusuke, you're not going to take it lying down are you? " Hikari looked at Fuji in shock.

"I won't let you guys take over the game any longer!" The guy returned ball, Fuji smiled and suddenly his expression dropped,

"Ahhh! Scary scary! " Hikari cover her eyes with her hand and turned to Eiji,

"Nyah! Hikari-chan it's okay!" Eiji hugged her as Fuji returned it with his swallow return, Taka and Fuji smiled at each other.

"Ya, break point ! This is where we should them what we're made of." Fuji nodded. Ishida grabbed his elbow and his team members looked at him.

"Hadoukyuu! " He returned the ball towards Fuji, the ball was lightening fast, Hikari looked at Fuji ,

'He can't possibly return it, His wrist isn't strong enough!'

"Fuji!" Taka came and returned the ball,

"Taka-san!"

"HUUURYIAAA, GREAT ! " Taka returned the ball,

"No way! He returned it!" Ishida smirked and got into a stance and his Captain stood up,

"Stop it Ishida ! Your arm will- " He narrowed his eyes,

"I DON'T CARE !" He swung his arm forward and the ball bounced into his court, he stood and looked at his racket. It had a hole through,

"The racket broke first."

"That's not the only thing that's broken."

"What's wrong Fujiko-chan ? " Taka looked Fuji when he got in front of him, Fuji grabbed his wrist,

"Ah, it Hu-hu-HURTS ! " Fuji stared at him with his eyes open,

"You took it for me." Taka looked away, Fuji turned to the umpire.

"Referee, we will forfeit this match. " Everyone gasped,

"What are you saying? I can still perform. You know as well as I do how much the first game means to us." Fuji smiled and closed his eyes,

"It's going to be?" Fuji took the racket out of his hands, Taka kneeled towards the ground,

"Sorry guys."

Hikari shook her head,

"**Echizen, I swear if you get hurt just like what happened to Taka. I will kick your butt back all the way back to America**. " Ryoma looked at her,

"**Hn, as if that would happen to me**." Hikari laughed and took his hat,

"**Better not! **" Eiji and Oishi went on courts, Eiji unzipped his jacket and took it off. He got his racket and spun it in circles with his wrist.

"One set match, Seigaku's Oishi to serve!" Oishi served the ball, They rallied until the guy hit a face shot, Eijis eyes widen as the ball passed his head, he move his

racket behind his head and returned it.

"Nanjaro Hoi Hoi! "

"15-love." Oishi and Kikumaru high fived,

"Hoi Hoi, Do ne." Kikumaru and Oishi returned each hits,

"Game, Seigaku." Ryoma and Hikari got up,

"Where are you guys going? " Momo looked at them and smiled,

"I'm thirsty, So I'm going to get a drink of water. " Ryoma and Hikari stopped,

"We're in the middle of a match, Don't make out for too long okay ? " Hikari and Ryoma looked at each other and made faces,

"As if I'd want to kiss Him/Her. " They waved their hand and walked away, Momoshiro laughed and shook his head,

"Ahh...Young love."

- **& - **

Ryoma and Hikari walked to see two people returning two tennis ball towards each other. Ryoma and Hikari continued to walk, Ryoma smirked and walked in between the two, He raised his racket and hit both balls. They looked at Ryoma in shock and hit the ball back, Hikari rolled her eyes and quickly walked in between before the ball was to hit her; Everyone gasped. Ryoma bent down and took a sip from the fountain, Hikari leaned on it watching the two continue to hit the ball in shock,

"Mada mada dane. " Ryoma wiped his mouth and turned around,

"Hey, want to increase the number of balls by one." The two looked at Ryoma,

"This guy...Who's still lacking !?"

"Oi, you got a problem with our freshmen? "Ryoma raised an eyebrow at Kaidoh.

"Hey, stop right there. Isn't it time you guys went back. I might have to inform the captain that you guys were doing something else. " The girl

from the burger joint walked in. Hikari blinked,

"It's you."

"Fine, I'm looking forward to our match, ." The two walked away, the girl turned to Ryoma.

"For a guy who's always cool, You're pretty susceptible to provocation." Hikari rolled her eyes,

"Tell me about it."

"Not that I don't find it entertaining." Hikari scoffed, Kaidoh turned towards Ryoma.

"Who's this? "

"I don't know."

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with your match rather than worrying about me? Kamio-kun is a player that matches up well against you Kaidoh-kun. On top of that, Shinji tennis sense rivals that of your Fuji-kun."

"How do you know everything?" she laughed,

"How do I know? Ah this isn't good. Catch you later." The rain poured, Kaidoh turned to the two.

"You two, Stop wondering around like this."

"Hai." Hikari covered her head, her long blonde locks getting wet.

"Kuso, Echizen. Give me your hat." Ryoma looked around,

"Don't wanna." She scowled,

"Give it here!" She grabbed his shoulder with one hand and grabbed his hat with the other.

"Nyu !" She stuck her tongue and put the hat on. Ryoma blinked,

"Oi, give it back!" She ran off back to courts with Ryoma following.

- **& - **

"Senpai moves like a cat."

"The acrobatic Kikumaru can only be compliment by Oishi, who covers a lot of ground and plays situational tennis. That is what we call the "Ah-Un" synchronization. Are

you two listening," Ryuzaki-sensei narrowed her eyes at Ryoma and Momoshiro. The scowled and looked away while Hikari smirked.

"Game won by Seigaku." Eiji flashed a peace sign as Fuji passed them towels,

"Sankyuu," Hikari sighed and sneezed.

"Good game Eiji-senpai!" Eiji grinned and hugged her,

"Aww! Kawaii sneeze! Call me Kikumaru-senpai!" Tezuka looked at her from the corner of his eyes, a bit concerned. He took a towel and put it around her,

"Senpai, you're up next." Ryoma looked at the towel from the corner of his eyes,

"When it get's better, we'll continue with the singles."Coach Ryuzaki pointed up towards the sky.

"I guess it's undecided if we're going to continue or not. It's up to the rain."

"I guess this is what they call 'skinning the snake alive." Kaidoh glared at Ryoma. Kaidoh looked down and walked out,

"Kaidoh has lost his concentration. Everyone wants to enter a match with their best form. Kaidoh was raising his fighting spirit while watching other matches. " Kamio took

out his mp3 player and listened to music,

"Ehh, he looks confident listening to music. "

- **& - **

Hikari pushed some buttons and got out a ponta. She turned and looked at Ryoma, opening the watermelon flavored drink she took a sip as she sat down besides him and layed her head on the table.

"Hey Echizen, Members of Fudomine are busy preparing, but like your usual self, you're not nervous at all."

Ryoma opened his eyes to see Horio, Kachiro, Katsuo, and Sakuno. He yawned and and Horio face palmed,

"It's over..."

"What's this?" They turned to see Inoue,

"Inoue-san." Sakuno sat down next to Hikari who was next to Ryoma; while the trio sat on the other side and listen to him talk about Fudomine's new found strength,

"They have a pride that represents how they got here with no help from anyone. " Ryoma pushed his racket string around, and nudged Hikari with his foot. She picked up

her head and sneezed, He got up and left with Hikari,

"Tennis is tennis, all you do is chase and hit the ball. " Horio looked at the two,

"Hey, where are you guys going? " Hikari and Ryoma walked back into the courts,

"You're late Mr. 3rd singles." Ryoma smirked as Kaidoh came and got out his racket, Kaidoh looked up and turned to Ryoma. Hikari looked up at the sky, it cleared up.

"Try your best, " Kaidoh stood up,

"I don't need mouth from you," Tezuka turned around,

"Hey Kaidoh, your opponent isn't Echizen."

"Hai." Kaidoh left and Hikari drooped her head, sighing. Eiji frowned,

"Oh no! Kari-chan is getting sick!" Eiji sat next to her and she rested her forehead on his shoulder with her eyes closed. Ryoma stared at this action,

"3rd singles, Seigaku's Kaidoh and Fudomine's Kamio ." He turned his attention somewhere else,

"Yo, your nickname's mamushi right? Fits you perfectly." Kaidoh glared and hissed, he swung his racket at Kamio's face, Oishi stood up,

"Kaidoh, STOP!" Kamio's eye widen and he stepped back.

"You have a pretty fast swing, "

"What are you guys doing ?" Kaidoh glared at the umpire,

"Kaidoh! " Kaidoh looked at Tezuka and turned back to the referee,

"Sumimasen."

"Watch out next time, " Tezuka he walked up Fudomine's captain,

"I apologize for my team member."

"No, my player provoked first, I apologize."

"One set match, Fudomine's Kamio to serve. " Kamio served and ran towards the net, Kaidoh returned it and speedily Kamio returned the ball,

"He's fast, unbelievable foot speed." Kaidoh glared at Kamio as Kamio started walking in a circluar motion,

"I'm in the rhythm." Kaidoh sneered,

"I don't like it when you do that, Hurry up and serve. " Kamio served and Kaidoh returned it with a snake. Kamio ran towards the ball and returned it, everyone stared in

tension.

"Pretty confident in your speed, aren't you? "

"Why don't you entertain me more with your snake? "

"I don't believe this speed demon crap." Kaidoh slipped in the mud and returned the ball with a snake.

"He got the ball through the side, hey hey. Is that possible?" Ryoma looked up at the match.

"What was that? It was like a boomerang, hrmm boomerang snake ? "

"Boomerang snake sounds good,"

"They're saying boomerang snake." Oishi turned towards Eiji; who in return grinned and jumped up and down, knocking Hikari off. Ryoma felt a droop on his shoulder and looked to see Hikari sleeping, he blushed and tilted his hat.

"Sounds great."

"Kaidoh, that was a great shot around the pole."

"40-30."

"Eh, good work senpai." Ryoma looked at Kaidoh. Kaidoh got up as Kamio smirked,

"You have something in you after all...In that case I'll raise my rhythm," Kamio served a speedy ball,

"Game to Fudomine's Kamio. Fudomine leads 1-0 "

Kaidoh served this time and the two rallied, Kamio did boomerang snake again,

"15-love." The ball had went out, Kaidoh served again and Kamio speedily went around. Kaidoh tried boomerang snake again,

"Out." Serving again, Kaidoh hand attempt Boomerang snake,

"Out." He continued,

"Game won by Kamio, " Kaidoh sat down and took a breather,

"Are you so weak that you relay on one lucky shot to win? " Ryuzaki-sensei stared at Kaidoh. Ryoma moved forgetting Hikari for a moment.

Hikari fell foward on Ryoma's lap and she continued to sleep, Ryoma blushed and looked away,

"Deuce 3."

"Just give up !" Kamio served and snaked it, the two continued to rally,

"10km of jogging in the morning, 10km of jogging after slub activity, 10km of jogging at night, 3 sets of shuttle runs, 50 runs each set, 150 push ups. " Everyone stared at

Inui,

"Are you saying that's what Kaidoh does everyday ? "

"That's 3 times more than original training. "

"Net, deuce.." Kamio served again and the two rallied, Kamio went up towards the net and Kaidoh snaked it. Kamio returned it and the ball hit the net and spun up over to

the other side. Kaidoh went and dived for the ball, He returned the ball and it went over.

"Advantage to the the receiver. "

"I can't hear you. Who's going to quit? I'll never quit as long as there's a point left." Kaidoh got up from the ground, Kamio scowled and served again, as the two rallied.

Kaidoh snaked it,

"Game and Match won by Seigaku's Kaidoh, 7-5." Kamio's eye's widen in surprise. Everyone cheered and clapped, Hikari stirred in her sleep from the noise. Ryoma

unzipped his jacket and picked Hikari up, he put down his jacket under Hikari's head and walked out towards the court.

"One-set match, Seigaku's Echizen to serve." Ryoma bounced the ball with his left hand, he threw up the ball and served, the ball bounced and went towards Shinji's face.

He bend back to avoid the hit, Ryoma looked at the umpire.

"Hey ref, I'm wating for the call."

"O-chibi's doing it His directional strategy has turned the crowd to his favor." Ryoma served the ball again and Shinji avoided it,

"30-love." Ryoma continued to bounce the ball, he threw it up and served, Shinji watched as the all flew across his face.

"40-love." Ryoma served and Shinji stepped back and returned it, Ryoma jumped up and slammed the ball down,

"Game won by Echizen." Ryoma smirked,

"I seem to be getting my rhythm...Just kidding."

"Shinji just lost in straight points...in a minute.."

"Seeing his eyes take me back..." Ryuzaki-sensei smiled. Hikari stirred a bit and sighed. Shinji threw up the ball and served,

the ball hit Ryoma's hat and it flew back.

"15-love" Echizen smirked and picked up his hat,

"You're hiding something from me aren't you ? I can feel it." Echizen looked at him and smirked, he changed his racket towards his left hand.

"You're right."

"South paw? "

"Let's both stop fooling around and get serious."

"If you think about it, I have to serve with my right hand to hit a guy who's right handed. You're pretty good to see through my plan first." Shinji bounced the ball,

"I should make you lose one, You're too arrogant. " Shinji threw up the ball and served, Ryoma stepped back and returned the kick serve. The two rallied.

"He's just like his dad, " Oishi looked at Ryuzaki-sensei.

"You know his dad."

"Ryoma's father was a former pro tennis player."

"What kind of player was he? An attack specialist like Ryoma? "

"An attack specialist, eh ? All he knew was is unbelievable, had natural tennis sense along with speed and strength. He had a unique way of absorbing things,

he was one of those talents that comes every 10 years. He was a monster that crushed all my expectations. " Tezuka blinked and looked at Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Nanjirou Echizen invented Nitouryuu by himself? "

"Yup it wasn't just to conquer the fact that he had a weak backhand. Top-tier players always found a way to overcome barriers like that, Ryoma's dad was one of those

guys. "

"Now I understand, the person standing on that court right now is Nanjirou Echizen, His power, speed, and reflexes. Echizen's style is a copy, But

when Echizen overcomes that barrier, what will be waiting for him at the end? "

"Who knows? " Hikari twitched and woke up, yawning. Eiji got up and hugged her,

"Kawai Desu ! Kari-chan is so cute when she wakes up ! " She looked up at Eji and looked around,

'Eh where am I ? ' She turned to see Ryoma diving and switching his racket to his right hand,

"15-15."

"Hmm, so that's Nitouryuu." Ryoma switched it back as Shinji served, The two rallied,

"Gomen, But I don't feel like losing before the nationals. " Ryoma hit the ball

"Of course we won't lose at national's either ! " The two ferociously rallied, Shinji suddenly hit a high lob. Ryoma ran towards the back. He jumped and hit it backwards.

"40-15" Hikari stared amazed, Ryoma served and they rallied, Ryoma jumped up and smashed it.

"Game won by Echizen. 4-1 Seigaku lead." Echizen smirked as Shinji served, the two rallied. Shinji smiled a bit,

"There's something wrong with that attack strategy, It looks like he's hitting topspins and slives to his forearm and backhand, demo.." Ryoma ran towards the ball and missed it. He stared at the ball,

"15-love."

"It looked like O-chibi's movement was frozen for a moment, " Ryoma squeezed his fist and opened it back up. Shinji turned around,

"You're not taking this easily.."

"By hitting top spins and slice shots forehand and backhand numerous times, the muscles start to contrat leaving the player in a numb state called 'Spot' "

"So ?"

"Numb states only last for a second, To push him into using it..." Ryoma froze again,

"40-0" The two rallied and he frozed once more, he spun his body and the racket slipped out of his hand. It hit the post and the racket broke. The peices with flying, the

handle flew towards Ryoma's face.

"Ryoma!" Hikari jumped out of her seat, and for the first time called him by his first name. Blood was on the floor, Echizen was kneeled over the ground, His hand over his

left eye with blood pooring out. She felt her heart drop,

"Echizen, are you okay ?! **RESPOND, DAMMIT**." Hikari looked at him but didn't go onto the court. Sakuno ran into the court,

"Ryoma-kun."

"Don't come on to the court." He glared at her,

"Nevermind, just get off the court." He pushed her hands away. Hikari stared at Sakuno with a knot in her stomach, and clenched her fist.

"But you have to go to the hospital! " He stood up and turned his head away,

"Don't worry about it." She looked at him,

"But you have such a severe injury, " He picked up his hat he turned towards his racket,

"I broke the racket.."

"You there, everyone has to leave the court except the players."

"Ryoma-kun, he said you should leave ! "

"W-wait, "

"You're not a player anymore-" a hand went on Sakuno's shoulder,

"It's an insult to a tennis player when a fan starts to heckle you, if you're my granddaughter you'd do well to remember that." Sakuno looked hurt,

"But, he's injured..."

"We have to stop the bleeding, someone get the first aid kit." Sakuno walked out. Hikari stared as Ryoma sat down and was treated by Oishi.

"It's no good, It won't stop the bleeding. The eyeball is okay, it's just the eyelid muscles. " Hikari clenched her fist and looked up at Ryoma,

"Y-you said you wouldn't get hurt !" Ryoma turned to her,

"I-" Hikari looked away,

"Urusei! " Everyone looked at the two, Taka fainted from the blood.

"How is it Oishi? "

"It will be disappointing to forfeit after coming this far..."

"It's in pieces." Momo picked up the broken racket,

"Echizen, I'm putting this into your bag." Ryoma nodded but was still looking at Hikari, hoping that she'll spare him a glance.

"While you're at it, get me my spare." Hikari turned to look at Ryoma. Momo nodded,

"You got it."

"You...still want to play after your injury...How stupid can you get!? " Ryoma looked at Hikari and looked away, she glared at him and unclenched her fist,

"Fine, Go ahead. Get yourself injured, I don't care. I just thought you kept your word. " Hikari turned around and went into her bag to get her ipod, she put in her head

phones and blasted music. She looked away from him.

"Echizen-kun, I can't let you play unless you stop bleeding." Ryoma got up and wiped his blood on his shirt,

"I'll play, "

"But you.."

"The bleeding has stopped, " Ryuzaki-sensei called him over,

"Bullshit it you're a stubborn fool, " Ryoma looked at Hikari at the corner of his eye,

"Is that bad? "

"It hurts, doesn't it."

"It doesn't hurt. " She smiled,

"Bring me the first aid kit, Ryoma, this will hurt."

- **& - **

"There done, " Ryoma touched his eye,

"It's stop."

"It'll only hold of 15 minutes max." Fuji smiled wider,

"Sumire-chan to the rescue." Ryuzaki looked at him.

"You have no right to call me Sumire, Fuji."

"I can play if it stopped bleeding, right ? "

"H-hai."

"Echizen, your racket."

"Thanks, Momo-senpai." Oishi got in the way, Tezuka took the racket and gave it to Ryoma,

"10 Minutes, if it isn't decided by then, you forfeit. got it? "

"More than enough time." Oishi sighed,

"Echizen, Go. But don't over do it. " Kaidoh threw him his hat,

"You forgot something." Ryoma smirked,

"Sankyuu, senpai." Ryoma glanced at Hikari and went back onto the courts.

"The match is continuing," Shinji looked up and went onto the court, Ryoma threw the ball and served, the speed increasing. Hikari stared.

"15-love"

"It's too much commotion for something like this. " Ryoma pointed his racket at him.

"What's that technique you use ? it makes my arm go numb for a second." Ryoma served and they rallied,

"Game count 4-3." Echizen stared to jump, with 7 minutes left on the clock. Shinji threw the ball and served, the two rallied, until Ryoma's racket flew out of his hand. He's hands twitched, Hikari jumped a bit, and watched as the two rallied,

"40-love"

" 5 minutes passed."

"How envious, you've got the crowd's sympathy. But this is what you've wanted, I'm going to make you work until the end." Ryoma continued to bounce,

"Hey, sorry to bother you while you're talking to yourself but can you hurry up and serve ? I have to beat you in little over 3 minutes. " Shinji glared at him,

"Damn what an annoying guy." the two rallied,

"I don't like the shots that go up and down, I've found two weakness in your technique. " Ryoma returned the ball,

"Have you used it against a nitouryuu player before? " Ryoma returned the ball,

"40-15" Shinji served again and Ryoma returned it again,

"One-footed split step ! I see, with that he can freely switch hands to return it."

"Nitouryuu, what are you doing to do if I numb both arms." Ryoma smirked,

"Hey, I'm waiting for a top spin. " Everyone stared in shock at this. Hikari felt the corner of her lips twitch up, but she restrained it. She stared at Ryoma's face. She gasped and looked at the red spot that was enlarging, she felt her heart dropped and turned away,

"Echizen...Your eye, i-it's bleeding..." Ryoma looked at her out of the corner of his eyes as he jumped up to slam the ball, Hikari looked back at him with sad eyes,

"J-just, finish this match- and get it over with ! Echizen ! Hurry and win! " Ryoma slammed the ball down,

"Game, Seigaku's Echizen! " Ryoma smirked and tipped his hat,

"2 minutes." Ryoma threw up the ball and served, the two rallied

"15-love."

"15-15"

"30-15"

"40-15." Hikari stared as Ryoma rallied,

"Go Echizen ! Win the championships for Seigaku ! " Hikari felt her lips curve into a smile as Momo cheered. Ryoma slammed the ball down, Shinji looked shock as the ball hit his hand,

"Game and Match, Seigaku's Echizen ." Inui looked at his stop watch,

'9 minutes, 53 seconds, 89 milli seconds...' Ryoma turned around,

"Did I make it in ten minutes." The team gave him the thumbs ups, he sighed in relieved and waited as everyone got up to form a line.

"District tournament winner, Seishun Gakuen. Together with runner up, Fudomine Jr. High. We will be anticipating good games from both of you at

the prefectural tournament. That is all," Everyone bowed as everyone clapped,

"Excuse me, how is your right arm," Taka and Momo turned around,

"Ah, it's fine, It wasn't your fault, so don't worry about it." Taka smiled, Momo handed him his racket,

"Gentlemen! You hit a pretty rough ball at me, brat! "Everyone sweatdropped,

"We won't lose next time. "

"I'll be looking foward to it,"

"Yo, Mamushi." Kaidoh turned around to Kamio,

"Shut up you rhythm runt. " Shinji walked up to Ryoma,

"Echizen-kun, I feel bad about the injury to your eye. Are you okay ? But that wasn't even my fault. Ah, I see now, you did that to yourself. I'm absolutely sure. On

purpose... I'm getting tired of this.." Ryoma stared as Shinji talked to himself,

"Shinji !"

"Sorry." Ryoma tipped his hat,

"Mada Mada Dane. " Ryoma turned towards Hikari's walking figure and ran after her,

"Tezuka-san..." Hikari stopped, Ryoma stepped up,

"Gomen." Hikari slumped her shoulders, Hesitantly, Ryoma grabbed her shoulder.

"Can you at least talk to me ? " Hikari turned around with a sad expression, he grabbed her by both shoulders,

"What's wrong?" Hikari turned her head to the side and mumbled something, Ryoma blinked,

"Huh? " Hikari turned around,

"**I was worried okay! You were bleeding, and the racket broke and you kneeled on the ground and I didn't know what to do and when I screamed your name, Y-you didn't respond, and Ryuzaki called at you and yet you responded**. " Ryoma stared at her trying to listen to her fast talking, He sighed and took his hat, putting it over her head,

"Mada Mada Dane. " Hikari widened her eyes and turned around,

"Urusei, Just cause of that I'm leaving, with your hat!" Ryoma smirked,

"No way, " Hikari laughed a bit and turned around, seeing his eyepatched she gasped,

"You should go to the hospital." Ryoma blinked.

- **& - **

"The bleeding has ceased, but you have to get proper treatment. Did you get that playing tennis?" Ryoma sighed as the Nurse tied the eye patch,

"Hai."

"Really. "

"Hai."

"This must've been pretty rough tennis to produce injuries like yous and the guy who bruised his wrist earlier." Ryoma walked out to see Hikari and Coach Ryuzaki,

"Are you okay? "

"Yeah." Hikari scoffed,

"Don't lie to sensei. I bet it hurts."

"Well the, let's go to our next stop." Hikari and Ryoma blinked,

"There's something else too? "

"Stop stalling let's go. "

- **& - **

Hikari looked at the signed,

"Sorry we're closed...at a sushi restaurant ? "

Echizen opened the door with Hikari behind him, Echizen looked to see the whole team playing around. They stopped and stared, Hikari quickly went to turn around as

Ryoma closed the door. Two hands went grabbed them inside,

"Where do you think you're going ? Get in."

"Echizen, Hikari. Get over here quickly." Hikari and Ryoma turned around,

"Yes, what's one plus one? "

"Ne? " The lady took a picture. Coach Ryuzaki sat down to talk to Taka's dad.

"Sorry to bother you with so many people." He laughed and continued to cut some fish,

"Don't worry about it, just enjoy yourself." Ryoma sat down next to Fuji, Hikari followed next to him,

"What's this? " Fuji chuckled,

"Can't you guess? Sushi."

"What do you want to eat first ? This is a place run by my he heard that we won, he closed the shop and make it out celebratory party." Ryoma turned towards Taka.

"No matter what, we have the freshmen prodigy on our side, He's the opposite of my useless son." Taka blushed,

"Hey hey, don't say that Otou-san."

"Here go ahead sensei." Taka's dad handed Ryuzaki some sake,

"No thanks. I'm driving back." He smiled and gave the glass to Tezuka,

"Ahh, that's too bad, how about this teacher here ? " Tezuka looked up,

"I'm the captain, Tezuka. " Taka's dad scratch his next nervously,

"Ahh, Gomen for my rudeness." Everyone laughed at that. Everyone started to eat the sushi, leaving Eiji without any,

"Ahh, Eating rolls by yourself, How selfish Fuji," Fuji looked up before taking a bite,

"Actually, Hikari-" Eiji suddenly pointed over,

"Ahh look over there. Fuji, " Eiji took a sushi then screamed,

"What are you eating!? " He's face flushed as Fuji laughed,

"Wasabi sushi." Eiji ran around,

"Tea, tea !" Everyone laughed. Hikari took some of Echizen's sushi as Oishi, Ryuzaki-sensei, and Tezuka went out.

"Well, we'll just go back to school for..." She looked at everyone having a good time, and said nothing and left.

"Wah, this Chirashizushi is awesome. Ittadakimasu !" Momoshiro was behind Hikari and Ryoma, he raised his chopsticks and went to dig in,

"Momo you ate enough already, it's my turn now!" Eiji came and pushed Momo.

"What are you saying ? The early bird gets the worm. " Hikari and Ryoma looked behind them with the corners of their eyes,

"You're so selfish Momo." The two began pushing and shoving,

"Ryoma-kun. Let's take a picture togethe !" Shiba tapped Ryoma shoulder,

"Do the the honors Kachiro-kun!" Kachiro smiled and nodded, Shiba smiled and did the peace sign as Ryoma frowne and looked down at his cup. Hikari looked at the two

while Momo and Eiji where still pushing.

"Anagooo !" Eiji whined as Momo pushed him, Eiji saw some anago on the table,

"Oh, They have Anago here too." Eiji let go of the plate and Momo tripped backwards hitting Hikari, Hikari flew foward onto Ryoma; Pushing Shiba

out of the way. Kachiro had already clicked the button taking a picture. It was a picture of Ryoma looked down surprised at Hikari, with her

blushing and closed her eyes surprised at the impact.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: ****I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. **

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Eleven : Spys

* * *

Hikari sighed and walked out of class with Ryoma, extremely tired from yesterday's thrusdays training. She remembered what Inui said,

**- & -**

_"Hikari-chan, I've seen you play. I know there is potential behind everyone, you just have problem channeling it out. Which is why I'm going to continously serve you fast_

_balls and you have to return them. Any question? No? Okay good. Go! " Inui clicked the button on the machine, increasing the speed of them every hit Hikari_

_hit._

**- & -**

'Kuso, this is so tiring ! ' Hikari groaned a pinched her nose walking outside with Ryoma, carrying some books in her arms; passing by the courts. Ryoma stopped to

see an orange head boy staring at the girl practicing,

"Wow, there are so many kawai girls in Seigaku Girl's tennis club. I should have applied to this school." Ryoma stared at him surprised, Hikari scoffed and walked away.

With Ryoma following they saw Tomoko and Sakuno hitting a tennis ball with a string next to it, Tomoko fell trying to hit the next ball. Hikari and Ryoma dropped the

books somewhere and Ryoma took Sakuno's racket, pulling on the elastic ball he smirked,

"You have a good thing here." Hikari nodded, picking up Tomoko's racket. Ryoma bounced the ball and hit it, it was close to Hikari but she just blinked,

"Wow, That's my Ryoma-sama!" Hikari smirked a bit and hit the ball back to Ryoma. He blinked as the two began to rally, the speed of the ball had increased since there was two forces hitting it. The same orange hair boy stood somewhat behind Hikari,

"Well, as expected, Seigaku has quite good freshmans. " Hikari heard the voice and stepped to the side to see the speaker as Ryoma hit the ball more powerfully, making the boy blink in surprise, Ryoma widen his eyes a bit, and continue to add power into it.

"Too bad, if you put more weight on your spindle, you'll have more power. " The orange hair guy started to eye Hikari as a eye candy, Ryoma switched to his left hand,

"Thank for the advise." He hit the ball, successfully hitting the guys face. Tomoko and Sakuno ran towards the guy as Ryoma walked up next to Hikari,

"He's unconscious. "

"Who's this ? " Tomoko and Sakuno kneeled down to him, Hikari bent down to read the bag,

"Kiyosumi Sengoku of Yamabuki Jr." She got up as Ryoma smirked,

"Well it's okay I guess." The two walked away,

"W-wait, Hikari-chan, Ryoma." Hikari raised in eyebrow and stated her question outloud,

"Ryoma ? Already that familiar with him ? " Hikari laughed as Ryoma picked up the books and walked to the library. Hikari walked in but Ryoma stopped and looked outside,

"Hm? "Hikari looked back and Ryoma shook his head walking. Two heads popped out a bush,

"That's the freshmen, Ryoma Echizen and His teammate/girlfriend Tezuka Hikari. " Two guys sat there in their green uniform,

"Are they Library reps? "

"You're stupid. Listen, the Library rep is usually the quiet guy at school. Who's also very stoic and anti-social. Make a note of it." One of the guys sighed,

"Then how'd he score a hot babe like her? "

"Girls tend to fall for the serious, quiet dudes."

"Anyways, he can be Seigaku's secret weapon. We have an important mission, don't every forget that ! "

**- & -**

Hikari was trying to reach a top shelve to put away the library, Ryoma sighed and took her book, and put it away for her,

"Thanks Echizen." Ryoma was about to nod, then remembered what happened with the elastic ball.

'Ryuzaki-san called me Ryoma so casually, Tezuka-san seemed bothered. ' Hikari turned around to grab another book, until Ryoma leaned into Hikari's face,

"Call me Ryoma-kun." Hikari blinked,

"That's too absurd! " He chuckled as he looked around,

" What was that noise? Buzz, Buzz. Buzz..." Ryoma leaned towards her face and poked her nose,

"Ah, There it is." Hikari flushed in surprise,

"A very noisy bee, there was a small bee right here. " Ryoma stayed in Hikari's face, putting down his finger. Hikari frozed, unsure,

"U-um..."

"I told you to call me Ryoma-kun. " Hikari looked away,

"B-but-" Ryoma raised an eyebrow,

"Hmm? What did you say Tezuka-san? " Hikari shyly looked at him,

"E-echizen-kun. " Ryoma smirked,

"That's better. But it's Ryoma, R-Y-O-M-A." Hikari blinked and slightly scowled,

"But you never call me by my name , Hikari. H-I-K-A-R-I." Ryoma blinked,

"I have too," Hikari raised her eyebrows,

"Oh really now? When? " Ryoma's cheeks began to have a tinge of pink on them,

"Uh-I, U-um..that time, at t-the...preliminaries." Hikari blinked, remember him helping her swing. She blushed a bit but fought it down,

"Ahh, is Echizen-kun shy of what happened? "Ryoma looked away; wishing his cap was with him.

"Mada mada dane, Hikari-san" Hikari laughed and put away the last book, she turned around and ruffled his hair.

"That's better, Let's go ." Ryoma sighed and ran his hands through his hair, while Hikari picked her stuff up.

**- & -**

Hikari stood by Ryoma, waiting for Momo.

"Sorry for the wait, let's go to the burger joint. " The three walked off as a trash can lid was lift, under it, a guy was staring at them,

"The one is Echizen is his double's partner. Takeshi Momoshiro."

**- & -**

The trio sat down with their food,

"I recently changed the grip from 3 to 4." Ryoma held Momo's purple racket,

"I think that's good for a hard hitter like you, Momo-senpai."

"It is, how about the tension,"

"Up to 80."

"Your elbow would get more weight,"

"I'm not missing my muscle training." Hikari took a long sip out of her strawberry shake. After they finished, they went to a shoe shop.

"Isn't it a bit too expensive ? " Momo held a shoe,

"I'd get a discount? Seigaku are regulars here." Momo then looked up, tapping Ryoma's shoulder to follow his gaze to see a mirror with someone hiding behind the counter. Momo and Ryoma turned to them, the guy laughed,

"Excuse me! " Ryoma raised his eyebrow a bit confused as they just talked out their whole plan,

"You guys have some guts to mess with us like that.." The guy turned to see Tomoko and Sakuno, following after was Hikari with an blue ice cream cone. The guy started to

blush,

'That's the cute one I saw....' He started to laugh hysterically.

"Senpai, dajoubu? " The guy turned towards them,

"Let's have a match." Momo turned towards Ryoma.

"What a strange guy." Ryoma nodded.

"Let's not get involved with them, Let's go Hikar-"

"Are you running away? " Hikari sighed and started walking towards a street tennis court,

"I understand it's in front of that cute blonde, but...they're still Seigaku regulars." Hikari blushed as looked away, Ryoma stared at her.

"Stop whining, let's find their weakness. Rough or smooth."

"Smooth." The two dead panned as it was smooth,

"We've lost.."

"Hey, we didn't even start yet." The two looked up surprised of actually having to play. Momoshiro served,

"15-love" He served again,

"30-love."

"Game ." Momoshiro walked up and gave them the ball,

"Play seriously." The guy scowled and served a slow ball, Momoshiro walked up to the ball ,

"Wow, so slow." The guy went to return the ball but it flew passed him and he tripped.

"Senpai, Are you okay !? "

"Comparing this to training, this is nothing." Hikari sighed,

'They suck...'

"The real game starts now ! " Ryoma and Momo stared at them,

"4-0" The guys was sweating like pigs,

"5-0" Momo turnd to Ryoma.

"The count it? "

"0-40." Momo turned back around, the guy served and Ryoma returned it. The guy pulled a muscle and fell, Momoshiro stared in shock while returning the ball,

"What the !? " Hikari stood up to get a better view. The black hair guy ran towards his friend,

"Senpai !" Subconciously he ran while swing his racket, returning the ball at a fast speed. Momo and Ryoma's eyes widen.

"Wow, great! "

"You did it, Shunsuke." The two cried and hugged eachother as Tomoko and Sakuno clapped.

"You guys can't play anymore. The match ends here."

"We can pla-"

"That was a great shot." The two looked up,

"Eh? " Momoshiro grinned,

"The last point was perect, I didn't expect it."

"You're sloppy Momo-senpai." Ryoma smirked,

"You always say one too many words, Anyways you guys will do well." Ryoma closed his eyes,

"If you train that is."

"Harsh eh? " The four laughed.

"It feels good after a match right ? Bring the notebook to me." He ripped the note book. Everyone stared,

"Tennis is more fun to play then to watch." The guy pointed to Momo,

"I'll get stronger and defeat you."

"You guys are welcome anytime."

"Farewell, Wanna brag that we tied with the Seigaku regulars and we stole their girlfriend? " The two walked away, Ryoma bent down to the notes,

"Let's see...Momoshiro's has a girl that he likes that's in the same year." Momoshiro blinked and blushed, he bent down to collect the note.

"Baka, sto ! Don't look ! I said sto-, Eh. what's this ? Echizen, a library rep, concluding that he's quiet and stoic. His girlfriend, Hikari Tezuka, helps him at the Library." Hikari blushed as Ryoma stared at the paper with fish eyes.

"T-that's not true! " Momo laughed and waved the paper in their face.

"That's not what the paper says ! "


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. **

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Twelve : Kaoru's Misfortune.

* * *

Kaidoh Kaoru was out running like every single morning; while as Horio, Katsuo, Kachiro, Ryoma, and Momoshiro walked home,

"I thought practice was never going to end, and we have to go on shopping duty." Kachiro smiled,

"It doesn't matter right ? It's always done." All five of them crossed the street,

"We're fine. But Ryoma-kun's probably tired, right ?The regular's special menu is pretty excessive." Ryoma looked at them,

"Not really." Momo patted Ryoma's head,

"Even though he's a regular a freshman's still a freshman. There's no special treatment for him, but I'll keep an eye on him," Ryoma glared at Momo. Momo nudged his head as Ryoma winced,

"That hurts." Momo laughed,

"Ahh! Give it back! Thief. " The five turned around, to see a guy in rollar blades skating away.

"Move out of my way! "

**- & - **

Hikari sighed and sat down on the grass near the sakura tree, she took out her violin and started to play dearly beloved, a good piece that was suppose to have an up beat to it, but she slowed it down for it to sound peaceful, with a hint of melancholy .She closed her eyes, she found relaxing when stressed out. She slowly started to sing with the song.

"_Suki ni natteku_

_Riyuu wa minna_

_Chigau yo ne kedo_

_Maybe you're my love_

_Aitai ima yasashii kimi ni_

_Sakura kiss tokimeitara ranman koishi yo_

_Mirai yori mo ima ga kanjin_

_Uruwashi haru no koi wa hanasaku otome no bigaku " _

**- & - **

Fuji took another picture of the sunflower patches, taking a click he heard a voice,

_" Chigau yo ne kedo_

_Maybe you're my love "_

Fuji followed the voice and music, he opened his beautiful blue eyes to see Hikari on a hill with her violin, she was standing near by the huge sakura tree. He noticed how the wind blow her hair out of her face and she played, he noticed how her eyes were slightly dazed as if she was in some sort of trance. He looked as her arm gracefully moved as she played, he picked up his camera and focused it on her. The wind suddenly blew hard from behind them, her hair flew and sakura petals flew all around, taking this chance. Fuji snapped a few pictures of her. When she finished the song he came behind her,

"Hello Hikari-chan. " Hikari turned around surprised, she gasped at his eyes.

"Hello Fuji-senpai, your eyes-" Fuji smiled and closed his eyes,

"You play and sing beautifully." Hikari blushed,

"Y-you heard ? " Fuji nodded, Hikari looked at his camera,

"What were you doing here? " Fuji flashed her his camera,

"Taking pictures of flowers." Hikari nodded,

"You like photography? " Fuji nodded and looked down at his watch,

"Wanna go get something to eat?" Hikari raised her eyebrow and felt her stomach growled, blushing she nodded. She packed her things and left to go to a shop.

**- & - **

"Thief !? Hold this ! " Momoshiro threw his bag at Ryoma and ran after the guy,

"Momoshiro Lariat!" The thief widen his eyes in surprise as Momo threw his hand back and swung, the theif quickly ducked and the two passed

by eachother.

"Oh no !" Momoshiro looked as a lady passed by him.

"Give it back ! My handbag !"

"Echizen you take care of the shopping !" Momoshiro ran after the girl and theif.

"Wait. you bastard ! " Momoshiro took someones bike.

"My bicycle ! Don't even think you can escape with that ! I'll catch ya with my rhythm." Kamio shoved his bag in Shinji's hand and ran after then.

Ryoma and the trio looked at this surprised, Momoshiro turned around and saw Kamio running after them,

"Fudomine's Kamio." Kachiro frowned,

"I hope he'll be alright." Shinji turned around to them, the three gasped. Ryoma blinked, remembering him and the injury, a strong breezed passed

by as the two stared at eachother.

**- & - **

"Thanks for the strawberry parfait, It's very good." Fuji shook his head as they walked out of the bakery with their own goods.

"No problems. "

"So Hikari-chan, speaking about food. Where's the most expensive restaurant you've ever eaten at?" Hikari paused and stopped to think,

"I've been to Aragawa, here in Tokyo, Japan." Fuji arched his eyebrows,

"Saa, is that so? I heard it's really expensive, about 386$ per person." Hikari nodded and continued to walk.

"Yup! It was for my uncles business meeting here," Fuji tilited his head,

"What does your uncle work as?" Suddenly Momoshiro pass by on a bicycle and Kamio ran by after him,

"Wait, That uniform is Seigaku's, _ARE YOU KAIDOH _!? " Kamio yelled after him. Momoshiro sweatdropped,

"Don't mistake me for that moron." Kamio quickly ranned after him,

"During the match, I thought you had a terrible attitude, but I didn't think you'd go this far !" Momoshiro looked at him.

"That part I agree with, but I'm not that snake. "

Kaidoh sneezed while running in the park.

"You think you can beat my rhythm !? " The thieft turned back and ran into Kaidoh, Kaidoh tripped face foward.

"You jerk."

"Move move !" Momoshiro ran over Kaidoh with the bike, Kamio stepped on Kaidoh's back to try and reach after Momoshiro. Kamio turned around,

"That was the snake..then who are _you_? " Momoshiro sweatdropped,

"For crying out loud, figure it out! You're in my way , Move move! " The two into the theif and he tripped, with the purse flying out of his hand and it hit Kaidoh on the back

of his head. He fell with the bag on his back,

"Ah, My handbag !" the lady and the police looked at Kaidoh,

"You, Come to the police station!" Kaidoh looked up surprised.

"What the...? Did you just see that Fuji-senpai ? " Fuji laughed,

"Yeah, that was odd; wasn't it?" Walking she saw Ryoma and some other people up front. She pointed at them,

"Hey, let's go say hi." The two walked over.

**- & - **

"You, You're Momoshiro. Right ? " Momoshiro smiled,

"Finally figured it out, huh? Rhythm's going down? " Kamio narrowed his eyes,

"That's my line."

"You're too naive, the corners mine to take! " There was a sign, Momoshiro gasped and went through a bush,

"Punk ! If you scratch my bike, you're paying for the repairs! "

"Don't be stupid, my reflexes are the Seigaku's best! " Kikumaru and Taka looked to see Momoshiro riding away from Kamio.

"Wasn't that Momoshiro and Fudomine's Kamio? " Kikumaru narrowed his eyes,

"Who's Seigaku's no.1 again? " Momoshiro flew down the stairs with bumps,

"My bike!" Momoshiro laid there in pain.

"So much for Seigaku's no.1 "

**- & - **

Hikari walked towards them,

"Hey guys." They looked at the two,

"H-hey Hikari-chan, Fuji-senpai. " Everyone walked into a store,

"Welcome !"

"Ibu-san, to think that you're shopping here too.." Ryoma and Shinji walked in different directions, the two traveled in a circle looking for something. Hikari stood next to Fuji nearby the hats,

"Should I buy a hat? " Fuji shook his head,

"I like your hair, you shouldn't cover it up." Hikari laughed, she grabbed a pink hat and placed it on Fuji's head.

"I think this looks good on you too senpai!" Ryoma stared at the two play around as Shinji turned to Ryoma.

"Oh right, how's your injury." Ryoma looked at him,

"It healed already." The two looked at eachother and stared.

**- & - **

Kaidoh hissed as the police man apologized,

"I'm really sorry. " The lady turned to him.

"Didn't I say so already? The thief was on roller skates and older. Not a cute kid like him " Kaidoh walked away and blushed.

**- & - **

"What? If it was because of a thief, you should've of said so sooner." Kamio sat down next to Momoshiro,

"It's obvious, who would go around stealing bikes."

"So...what ? Is it alright to leave the thief behind? "

"Well, Mamushi was there too. So it'll be fine." Kamio sweat dropped.

"No matter, now that that's settled. " Kamio picked up his bike,

"How's Fudomine?"

"We're not going to lose to Seigaku twice, you're on reserve right? "

"Baka! Who's on reserve? "

"Hey, Let go ! " The two turned the voice,

"That voice!"

"I SAID LET GO !" Kamio and Momoshiro walked up to see Ann being held by the wrist by some sliver hair dude with a mole.

"You made a deal, If we win against every guy here. Then you'll go on a date with us." Ann scowled, Kmaio ran up.

"Gyokurin." the two doubles looked up,

"Momoshiro! "

"Ann-chan, why'd you decide to so easily? " Ann pulled her wrist.

"What the-? There are still two more? " The guy insulted her, she turned to slap him,

"You're cute when you're upset too.."

**- & - **

Kikumaru and Taka saw the thief, Kikumaru picked up his racket to hit the ball at him till Taka took it,

"Justice, I will protect the city! " Taka threw his can and hit the theif,

"My racket !" The thief flew backward and the purse flew out of his hand, it landed in Kaidoh's face. The can flew on top of his head, and he growled as the liquid soaked his

bandanna.

**- & - **

"Ah, thank you so much." Kaidoh nodded his had to the lady and police,

"There days, it's rare to see a nice boy like such good deeds, he's going to grow up to be such a fine man. " Kaidoh blushed and walked away.

**- & - **

Hikari laughed as Fuji had a rainbow feathered hat on his head, she heard the doorbell ring and she looked up,

"Sorry Kikumaru."

"It's fine." Kikumaru and Taka entered the shop, Ryoma and Shinji stared at eachother.

"Hand it over."

"No way."

"I said hand it over. "

"No means no." The two began pulling at it,

"Hand it over!"

"I said no!"

"You're such a pain." The owner looked at the,

"Oh it's the last one. And it's really popular." Kikumaru walked behind the trio,

"What's going on?"

"Stop them, Kikumaru-senpai." Kikumaru looked and winked,

"Go, O-chibi ! Even if you have to put Seigaku's name on the bet you have to get it. " They sweatdropped.

"Stop it, Tezuka or Ryuzaki-sensei's going to get mad!"

"But we're still going to fight with Fudomine in the regional tournament ! We would look bad if lose now. Go Ochibi! " Ryoma stared,

"Even if you do say it, I know." Shinji stared,

"Same here." The two walked out holding the bag,

"Thank you very much." The two had payed half for it,

"You see, it's troublesome for the shop. So go deicde who gets it somewhere else. " Everyone walked out,

"Momo, I saw him running to the tennis courts with Kamio."

**- & - **

"Hey are you okay being in the front?"

Momoshiro and Kamio stood on the court,

"We'll let you serve. It's a one point match. Kabaji." He nodded as the sliver haired boy sat down. The guy served the two began to really,

"Hey Momo, You sure you good at doubles." Kamio ran towards the ball that passed him. The two began to rally until the guy hit a lob, Momoshiro jumped,

"Dunk smash !" The ball passed by the sliver hair guy.

"Kabiji."

"Hai, " The guy returned it hard as Momoshiro returned it barely.

"Stop, We'll take this lose today. What's your name."

"Seigaku Sophomore, Momoshiro Takeshi. And yours ? "

"Keigo Atobe, Hyoutei Gakuen's Senior. " Keigo walked away,

"Wait, Fudomine's Sophomore, Kamio Akira. " Keigo waved his hand,

"Didn't ask for your name." Kamio scowled,

"Bastards."

"Just forget it."

"Shut up, it was your fault anyways." An walked to them,"

"Thanks."

"You welcome, my partner was a bit weak though." Kamio scowled,

"You're going to get it." Momoshiro snickered.

**- & - **

"I do not really like basket ball. I'm scare I might trip while playing, I rather play my violin like I did today senpai. " Hikari happily talked to Fuji as everyone was deciding on what to do. Ryoma stared at them, feeling neglected, usually Hikari would ramble- talk to him like that.

"So, how are we going to decide ? It should be tennis ."

"So a match."

"If you lose you have drink Inui's special vegetable juice in one gulp." Ryoma turned to Kikumaru,

"No way! " Shinji turned to Ryoma,

"What is that?"

"You don't wanna know."

"So how are you guy-" Hikari was cut off by a scream.

"Ah, Thief! "

"Move !"

"Whoever stops him wins, " The two got out a ball and their racket. They both threw it up and the same time,

"Service, Seigaku and Fudomines." Kikumaru whistled, the two served it, the theif gasped. Shinji's ball went passed him and Ryoma's hit the floor and bounced to his face.

"Twist serve!" Shinji's ball flew and hit Kaidoh in the face. He fell backwards, with a surprise look.

"End of match, Seigaku's Ryoma."

"Now, be a man and go to the police." Taka and Kikumaru caught the theif. Kaidoh walked in front of the thief with a scowl and a tennis ball in his hands.

"Wow, you look beaten...Extra training ?" Kikumaru stared in surprise.

"You, You bastard!" Kaidoh grabbed the thief by the front of his shirt,

"Stop it Kaidoh !"

"Just because of this guy-" Momoshiro and Kamio waved at the group,

"Sorry for being late." Kikumaru held Kaidoh back, he look at Momo and ran to him,

"Momo. Who has the best reflexes in Seigaku again?" Kaidoh ran towards the thief that was clinging onto Taka.

"Impressive, Echizen-kun. But it won't work in the regonial, After all. You're just a freshman." Kikumaru spazzed at Momo for the best reflexes,

"Calm down Kikumaru-senpai !" Taka grabbed the thief running around trying to avoid Kaidoh,

"Stop it Kaidoh, I said no." The police and lady came running by,

"Save me ! I won't do it anymore !" The thief wailed as the police came. Ryoma watched as Hikari was still talking to Fuji, he sighed and looked away, annoyed. The group stopped at a stop light as every went different ways. Hikari waved to Fuji as she waited for the cars to stop passing by. Hikari looked at Ryoma and noticed he was spaced out, she grinned.

Ryoma looked at Fuji's walking figure cross the street, suddenly he felt someone glomp him,

"Echizen-kun! I haven't gotten to hang out with you at all today, " Hikari hugged him even tighter and smiled. Ryoma blinked in surprise and blush.

"H-Huh ? " Hikari just laughed and rubbed her cheek against his.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**** I'm experiencing writers block....so I'm just like pulling my hair out just trying to think of something to write about, but nothing's coming. It's been a few days since my recent chapter, so I wanna update ASAP for my readers ? I wanted to do like a Movie special, like the prince of tennis two samurai's or like prince of tennis live action movie. I don't know, but I know since Christmas is coming up, I have to make a special for that (: Oh, and sankyuu, for the people that reviewed ! ~**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Thirteen : Broken Strings

* * *

"Okay, class. As you know the spring festival is coming up in a month and each class has to do something for the festival. Any suggestions? " Some people raised their hands,

"Maybe a cafe? " Someone scoffed,

"That was done last year." The teacher pointed to another student,

"Talent show? " a girl piped up,

"That's coming way later in october." Everyone seemed to be stumped, until Nashi stood up,

"We should set up a masquerade dance." Everyone stared, seems like it hasn't been done in a while. The teacher looked around,

"No objections? " No one said anything,

"Alright, we'll be having a dance. " Everyone started to chat with eachother about the dance, Hikari stood up as the bell chimed, everyone gathered their stuff,

"Class dismissed." Everyone walked out, Hikari turned to Ryoma,

"Let's go to practice."

- **& -**

"Okay! Regular gather around now. " Everyone walked to Tezuka,

"There are nine days until the prefectural tournaments begin. From today on regulars will practice with a special menu. A rally match with limitations to where the ball can

land. It's also known as zone practice, " Everyone nodded as Inui came up,

"The difference between the regular's play styles are as follow. Counter Puncher, who stays at the baseline and waits for opponent's misses with stable strokes; Kaidoh,

Fuji, Oishi. Agressive Baseliner, who also stays at the baseline but fiercely attacks; Kawamura and Momoshiro. Serve & Volley, who has talens in both speed and reflexes

centered on net play; Kikumaru. While Tezuka, Hikari and Echizen are All-rounders. Who uses different techinques in order to maximinze their overall strength. This time,

Counter Puncers and Serve & Volley They will guard the entire side of their court, Agressive Baseliners and All-rounders will attack only using a half of their court. " Inui

pointed to the board.

"A five rally match, players on defense must return tot shaded part only. If you hit outside the shaded part, you lose. As for attacking players, you will lose if you can't score a point during the five rallies. " Ryoma stepped up,

"So all in all, us attackers just need to finish it within five rallies right ? " Inui nodded and Oishi raised his hand,

"The defenders win if they don't lose a point in 5 rallies right? " Inui nodded gleefully and raised a glass of green juice,

"If you lose, please drink Inui's special vegetable juice. " Everyone's face turned blue, recalling the time they first drank it, everyone shuddered.

"Ok! Start practicing now! " Kaidoh and Takashi walked up to the court as Inui got out a ball,

"It'd be unfair to let either side serve, so I will start it off. " Takashi grabbed his racket,

"What'd be unfair ? Mamushi. Come on, I'll show you my burning shot ! Don't get scared now . " Kaidoh narrowed his eyes ,

"Bastard..." Inui served the ball and Kaidoh returned the ball with a snake, Takashi smirked and returned the ball. Kaidoh struggled to return it, the two rallied

"Stick with it Kaidoh, Defense !" Kaidoh snaked the ball and Takashi returned the ball powerfully, Kaidoh ran twards it, hitting it with boomrand snake.

"Out." Takashi cheered as Kaidoh kneeled on the floor. Inui held the glass to Kaidoh as he looked up and sweat dropped.

"Next! Full court - Oishi, half court - Momoshiro. " Oishi and Momo stood on each side of the court,

"Hello ! Please take it easy on me."

"Same here." Kaidoh ran out of the court and slowed down, fainting on the floor. Everyone stared in shock,

"Hey , are you alright !" Oishi and Momoshiro narrowed their eyes,

'I can't afford to lose ! ' The the two rallied,

"As expected from Vice captain Oishi! Sticking with it like this..." Momo returned the ball, Oishi returned it with a lob, Momo jumped and smashed it. Oishi had swung at

the ball, but the ball spun and knocked the racket out of his hands. Oishi ran away and tripped over a box after drinking,

"Oishi ! Hang in there." Eiji ran to aid him. Momoshiro sighed in relief. Everyone stared at Fuji and Tezuka as the ball rolled towards the net,

"You played serious eh? " Fuji had his eyes open,

"Of couse." Momo whispered in Echizen's ear,

"What a shame, It would've been funny if Buchou drank it. " Tezuka turned at them, Inui gave poured the liquid into a glass,

"Didn't you give up quickly, Fuji ? "

"Yeah, I also wanted to try Inui's drink again. " Inui looked at the clear liquid, also known as water.

"Tezuka..." Inui read the bottle , Fuji and Inui turned to Tezuka, seeing him drink the bottle that says Inui. Everyone stared in awe as he drank the juice like it was normal,

Tezuka turned to them,

"What are you staring at ? Hurry and start the next match . " Everyone sweatdroped,

'What the...?' Inui handed out a brown subtance ,

"I finished this the other day. With special ingredients, this is Golden Power Remix Inui Juice. " Everyone stared,

"What's in that ? Can you even drink it." The trio gulped,

"There's not just only vegetable in there anymore. " They gasped remembering the insect incident. Eiji flipped his racket,

"I'll never drink that! " Ryoma got in position smirking,

"You don't need to be so reserved, It looks tasty, Kikumaru-senpai." Inui served the ball, Eiji ran towards the ball smiling,

"I can't lose to O'chibi, now can I? " Eiji served and ran up towards the net, Ryoma returned the ball,

"Aren't we serious, Kikumaru-senpai! " Eiji jumped and returned the ball in the corner, Ryoma ran to the back and returned it, Eiji smiled,

"Mada mada! Here here! Shot number two!" Eiji returned it in mid air, with his acrobatics, it seems like he was flying. Ryoma blinked.

"Oh geez." Ryoma quickly turned towards the ball since he was running the opposite way.

"I have a lot cunning senpais. " Ryoma returned it and ran up towards the ball, Eiji blinked surprised.

"Opps. I forgot to tell you before..when the attacker decides to go for net play, he has to play the entire side of his court. " The two blinked in surprise,

"You're kidding !" Kikumaru smiled,

"Sorry about that O'chibi. Sorry, come again next week !" Eiji hit a lob, Ryoma grunted and looked up. He ran back trying to return it,

"Yaro!" Ryoma noticed Inui in the way, he smirked and continue to run. Everyone watched for the result of this,

"I've always wanted to try this ." Ryoma jumped and hit the ball between his legs,

"Here!" His cap flew off and everyone stared in surprise,

"Acrobatics ? Are you serious?! On top of that, it's an extra difficult between the legs shot. " Kikumaru ran towards the ball, he jumped and returned it. Ryoma ran towards

the ball and raised his hand to hit it.

"O'chibi ! Yay ! It's already been five shots. " Ryoma blinked in realization, and returned the ball at Kikumaru's face.

"Yay yay ! Vitor-" Kikumaru fell backwards as the ball hit his face ,

"Oi ! Echizen, what do you think you're doing? Inui, give this kid as much Inui Juice Special or whatever it's called possible !" Ryoma winced as Inui stated the juices

name, His yell of disgust was heard around the court.

"Hrmmm...It seems that Hikari needs a partner, any volunteers ? " Everyone stayed silent,

"Saa...I suppose I will." Fuji grabbed his racket and walked towards the court, Hikari widen her eyes and shook her head,

"F-Fuji-senpai! I can't possibly win against you. " Inui took out the ball and Fuji stayed at the baseline and returned it, Hikari ran towards the ball

"Hey, did you notice Hikari-hime has no special move? " Hikari twitched at the comment Horio made, but she sighed and returned the ball.

"Hikari's form of returning the ball has gotten better..." Inui muttered as he took notes, Ryoma tipped his hat a bit embrassed remembering that he helped her with her form.

Fuji made it looked like he'd hit it to the left, but he hit it towards the right corner. Hikari blinked as a small gasped come out, recalling the drinks that everyone took, she

spun around, as one of those unexpected reflex, with one foot, lifting the other one back like a ballerina and swiftly returned the ball. The sound of the ball hitting the racket

was like a sound of a note on the piano, the ball spun on the floor in a circle and stopped. Hikari blinked in surprise, along with everyone else. Excluding Inui who was

writing the data down. Fuji slightly opened his eyes, he didn't even see the ball. Inui stopped writing and gave the juice to Fuji.

"Eh ? What was that ! It was like so fast, and it even sounded like a piano note! Also, the ball spun in a circle, staying on the ground. Almost like a music shot. " Inui

mumbled the name and wrote it into the book. Ryoma stared at Hikari with a surprised look,

"Myu-Jikku shot-o, eh ? "

- **& -**

Everyone groaned laying on the floor,

"I drank that terrible thing..." Oishi shifted his hand to cover his eyes, Ryoma kneeled near the fountain as support breathing heavily. Kaidoh sat against the fountains, as

Hikari came over gleefully that she didn't have to drink the juice. She opened the water and sprayed some in Ryoma's face, he snapped his eyes open and scowled as Hikari laughed,

"Mada mada dane, Echizen." Ryoma twitched a bit,

' Didn't we agree to more than just last names...?'

- **& -**

"Okay, gather up ! The listing for the prefectural tournament has been decided already. Huh ? Seems like there are fewer people." Ryuzaki-sensei looked around as Horio came up to her,

"Actually, it's becuase of Inui-senpai's Vegetable juice..." She stared at Inui's drink,

"Would you like to try ? " She winced,

"I'll pass. There are are 108 schools after the preliminaries, Each all strong, only five teams will get into Kantou regional tournament. " Momo smirked,

"Fudomine would face Hyoutei Gakuen before us, huh?"

"We'll be playing your brother's school, St. Rudoph, in the best match right Fuji." Hikari blinked,

' Brother..?' Fuji nodded as Coach continued,

"Ok ! We have come to face these schools now. We're aiming for champion, alright ? " Everyone cheered ,

"Pratice contnue, Next it's combination! " Inui pushed his glasses up,

"Whoever doesn't want to do it...will be drinking my juice." Everyone winced at it, they all fiercly rallied eachother, in fear of having to drink. Tezuka grabbed his arm and

looked at Hikari and Ryoma.

- **& -**

"Minna-san ! I purpose some musical peice or performance during the Haru no Sakura dance. " Everyone nodded in agreement, they decided the theme to be flourished with sakuras. Someone raised their hands,

"Should it be like a instrumental kind of thing ? or like a dj? "

"Instrumental kind of thing, dj is too modern if we want a ball room dance. " Everyone nodded,

"Hrmm, but who would be the person playing ? The school orchestra? " A girl nodded,

"Yeah ! We can also have any other volunteers that want to play while we dance. "

"No, what if the orchestra _wants _to attend the ball as well?" The bell rang as Hikari and Ryoma walked out,

"We'll discuss this next time. Remember class, this dance will be a formal one. Dresses and Suits only !"

- **& -**

Hikari sighed and stared at her racket, the strings a bit loose and broken due to the fact that she was rallying with Takashi again. Ryuzaki-sensei, looked over her shoulder.

"Loose strings? " Hikari nodded,

"There is this racket stringer that I know very well, I would introduce you to him on sunday...but I have some errands to run. " Ryuzaki-sensei turned to Ryoma as he

served,

"Ryoma ! Come here for a sec! Are you free tomorrow? " Ryoma blinked at her,

"What about it?"

"Hikari's strings are all messed up. You know the old man at Haritatsu's? I was thinking of her to get it fixed there, "

"And so? "

"But I have some things to do. Can you take Hikari there? " Hikari looked up in surprise, Ryoma looked at Ryuzaki.

"I'm not even close to that guy."

"Even so, Please. " Ryoma sighed with an annoyed look, Hikari felt a bit disappointed,

'Am I that of a nuisance ? '

"Fine.."

"Attending to a girl's request, at least you're somewhat a useful guy." Hikari blushed a bit,

"Arigatou Gozaimasu, Echizen. "

"Meet in front of the station at 2pm, okay ? "

- **& -**

Hikari groaned as she sat up from her bed, she rubbed her eyes as she looked at her clock.

'What the hell...I just woke up from my afternoon nap and it's already 1:30 !? ' She rummaged through her closet, and got out a white tank top and a black

skinny jeans . She tied her hair into two low ponytails with gray ribbons. She sighed and got her black sweater and put it on. She grabbed her tennis bag and walked

downstairs. Hearing the phone ring she picked it up,

"Moshi Moshi? " A light voice came,

"Hikari-chan, Do you wanna go to the park again today? " Hikari blinked,

"Fuji-senpai? Gomen, I have to go get my strings fix, I'm going right now...a bit late though " He chuckled,

"Can I accompany you? "

"Sure, Ryoma's already coming." Fuji chuckled,

"Saa...Nevermind. I wouldn't want to ruin your date. Maybe some other time, it's fun to talk with you." Hikari blushed,

"It's not a d-date...!"

"Is that so ? Seems like one."

"But it isn't! "

"Hai Hikari-chan, if that's what you want to think. "

"But-"

"Saa, aren't you late ?" Hikari gasped,

"Right, Bye Fuji-senpai." Fuji chuckled

"Bye Hikari-chan." Hikari put on her shoes,

"I'm going to get my strings fixed, Bye ! " She ran out the door and looked at her watch, ' it's 2:19, I'm late...' Hikari ran the 15 minute run to station.

- **& -**

Ryoma tied his shoes as his father walked by,

"I'm hungry- so kiddo, Where are you going? a date? " Ryoma froze for a second and continued to tie his shoes,

"To the racket stringer's place."

"That's weird, You rarely go to Haritatsu's. "

"I have to take Hikari-san there, Ryuzaki-sensei's order. " Nanjiro smirked,

"Hikari? That's a girls name. So it's a date after all? You've grown to that age now, eh? " He nudged Ryoma's head,

"I'm happy as your father too. " Ryoma sighed and fixed his hat,

"I'm just taking her to the stringer. " He got up,

"Just take your time and go have fun !" Nanjiro crossed his arms, as Ryoma closed the door.

"So he has someone he likes now eh....Wait a sec, does he even know how to go a date? This is something I've got to see! " Nanjiro got up to follow after his son.

Ryoma leaned against the pillar waiting for Hikari, he looked at the clock, ' 2:19....'

- **& -**

She reached the front,

"Kuso, where's Echizen? " she looked around and noticed it was 2:30, she looked down with a slight frown.

"Haritatsu's is over this way. " Hikari spun around to see Ryoma with a ponta and his racket.

"I'm sorry ! You must've waited a long time..." Ryoma took a sip and walked away at a fast pace. Hikari gasped a bit and tried to catch up to his, while they were walking

she looked at him at the corner of his eyes,

' Is he mad at me...? ' The two passed by a red car, Nanjiro popped up from behind it looking at them walk by,

"Nice catch, blonde hair and green eyes. But you're too immature, Ryoma. How can you be a man if you can't even forgive a girl for being a little late? " Hikari and Ryoma passed a burger joint, that had the trio and Momoshiro with them. They blinked at looked at the two,

"That's Hikari-chan and Echizen. Is he on a...date ?"

"It seems like a date.."

"For real!? That guy, I'm so jealous! Hikari-chan is so pretty. " The two turned to Horio. Momoshiro walked behind them.

"Heh..so those two have that kind of relationship after all eh ? That's youth. Let's follow them ! " the three sweatdropped.

- **& -**

Hikari and Ryoma passed by some water fountain, Nanjiro was behind a bench of two students. Blushing of uncertainity of what to do,

"Argh, just get on with it!" They gasped to see Nanjiro behind him, the boy stammered,

"Y-yes ! " He grabbed the girls hands,

"I wasn't talking to you, but oh well." Nanjiro looked at the couple and followed them. Horio, Katsuo, Kachiro, and Momoshiro hid behind the stairs as Hikari and Ryoma

walked out.

"Ah, it's that monk! Let's go " Momoshiro followed after Nanjiro.

- **& -**

Hikari looked around confused,

"This is the first time I have been in this area. So many sports shops here...is that Kunihimu's company over there ?" Ryoma motioned towards an ally way,

"This way." Nanjiro looked at him, Momo grabbed him by the shoulder,

"Excuse me sir, I've meet you before."

"I don't know Japanese."

"You're a monk. Are you following Echizen? " Nanjiro panicked and pointed to something, and left. Momoshiro looked at him,

"He must be Hikari's stalker. We're going to protect Echizen's date!"

- **& -**

Hikari looked up see a small, slightly worned out building that said Hiritatsu.

"Is this it? " Ryoma turned to her,

"Hai, nande? "

"It's a bit different from what I imagined. Well, this is the first time I've been to a racket stringing shop. Thought it would be a bit cleaner than this.." Hikari tilted her head,

Ryoma walked inside, along with Hikari following. Momoshiro and the trio looked at them confused,

"What a strange place for a date..."

- **& -**

Hikari looked around to see strings sets and other tennis things. She walked behind Ryoma, to see an old man walking up,

"Welcome, Huh? Isn't this Ryoma? Haven't seen you for a while now, Is there something I can help with? "

"This is a racket stringing shop, right ? " The old man laughed,

"Good good, I'm glad to hear well, what a cute little girl, Nice to make your acquaintance. I am the stringer, Tenmon Tatsugoro. But you can call me Haritatsu" He

winked at Hikari. Remembering her manners, she bowed,

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tezuka Hikari. "

"Right, take a seat."

"Ryoma's father used to come here often. It's not something to brag about, but I have put alot of effort into doing Ryoma's racket. "

"Is that so? "

"Little girl, Ryoma is a good player right? " Hikari bit her tongue from a sarcastic retort, remembering he was mad at her, she nodded,

"Very much so." Ryoma looked at her with an impassive face.

"But, from how I see it...quite playing a child's game and follow Nanoji's steps..." Ryoma turned and glared,

"I am different from that guy!" Hikari blinked in surprise of the sudden change in volume. The tea pot whistled and Haritatsu laughed,

"Rather than that." Hikari picked up her racket,

"Please help me with my strings!" He picked it up,

"Let's see.." He stared at it,

"Little girl, what happened ? Did you bang it against a pole ? Hrmm...You seem to put a lot of effort playing with this racket." Hikari blinked and sweatdropped remembering Takashi.

"Shall we tighten it a bit ? "

"Hai, thank you very much! " He began to snip the racket strings and fix it. Hikari and Ryoma went to the television, drinking tea and watching tennis.

"Now finally, we will start the men's singles final in the all-Japan tournament. This is a match that surpasses Japan's level. Hopefully, both of them will enter the world's

tennis scene soon."

"Ryoma, you wouldn't know. But Nanjiro was stronger than that, Power, speed, reflexes and a charisma that drew everyone to him. A tennis style that was able to move

the crowd like magic. Even though he suddenly retired, but still , since he decut he won all 37 matches in the world tournament. A man that shocked the tennis world, This

might take a while, why don't you go for a walk? " Ryoma stood up,

"Let's go." Hikari looked at his racket,

"Echizen-san does your racket need restringing too? "

"It's okay." Hikari got tired of his sudden cold attitude,

"Oi, why'd you bring it then? " Ryoma walked away. Haritatsu recalled something.

- **& -**

_The boys were waiting for their strings, talking about the preliminary tournament.  
_

_"That freshman was so awesome, "  
_

_"Freshman ? that good ? "  
_

_"Yeah, and his opponent was the one who beat Kiuki from Kakinoki Jr. High. He won the game in 10 minutes."  
_

_"What was the freshman's name ? "  
_

_"Ryoma Echizen." He looked surprised and smiled. _

- **& -**

The two walked out with the followers behind them,

"Haritasu-san was interesting..."

"Is he ?" Hikari sighed unhappily, unsure of what to do. Nanjiro stared at them,

"Making a girl bored like that, what kind of stupid son is he? Tennis isn't the only thing in life !" Momo and the rest stared at them,

"It doesn't seem like a date at all. Echizen's too far ahead."

"Echizen's like that, he's so stupid. Let me talk some sense into him ! " The three held him back,

"But I feel sorry for Hikari-chan!" Hikari sighed , walking besides him, she nudged him by the shoulder.

"Oi, Echizen, what's wrong." Ryoma twitched, ' Echizen again....'

"Why are you asking? " Hikari took a deep breath to gather her courage,

"Why? Cause you're avoiding me." Momo and the rest stood behind a bush,

"Echizen, You're being extremely stupid!" Kachiro and Katsuo cheered him on,

"Go for it Ryoma!" Nanjiro scowled at his son,

"What is he doing!? Say something quick! " Hikari sighed,

"You're talking alot, why _Tezuka-san_ ? " Ryoma emphasized her name, remembering Fuji had called her _Hikari-chan_. Hikari looked up a bit hurt that he avoided her

question and said her name in such distaste. The followers scowled and sweatdropped at this.

"Maybe I should've just went with Fuji-senpai! " Hikari was confused and she looked at him with a hurt expression, she ran by him sad. Ryoma turned to see her running

with a startled expression. Momo jumped from the bush,

"I can't take it anymore! Echizen! " Momo grabbed him by the shoulder,

"I saw it! I've seen it since the very beginning! " Ryoma blinked and looked up,

"How come you're here ? "

"That doesn't matter , What the heck are you doing!? "

"What ? "

"Go run after her and apologize!"

"But I didn't really say anything, she can just go to Fuji-senpai."

"Forget Fuji-senpai, Just go and apologize !" Momo screamed in Ryoma's face.

"Making a girl cry, even if the god of dates forgives you, I won't!" Ryoma looked surprised. Momo pushed Ryoma,

"Go! It's a senpai's order! Quick!" Ryoma jogged off. Nanjiro grabbed Momoshiro's shoulder,

"Wow kid, Aren't you intense. I like you." He laughed, Momo stared at him,

"Just who are you?"

"I'm someone just like you."

"Huh? " Nanjiro winked.

- **& -**

Hikari sighed and leaned against the bridges rail, she closed her eyes a bit confused and mad at Ryoma ,

"Want a drink? " Hikari looked to see Ryoma with a grape ponta. Hikari blinked and turned her head, accepting the drink either way. Ryoma sighed and looked away a bit

flustered,

"I-I'm s-sorry Hikari-san." Hikari felt the corner of her lips twitched, she turned back to face him. He looked down, Hikari looked at the drink in her hand.

"Eh? I like watermelon flavor though, Echizen."

- **& -**

"It's fixed. "

"Thank you very much." Hikari bowed low and took her racket.

"Don't get confused, the stringer here has seen through a lot; you know? " Hikari blinked in confusion, but nodded anywas.

"Bye ." Ryoma and Hikari walked out,

"Ryoma-kun, just one thing. " Ryoma and Hikari stopped walking,

"Don't you feel bored playing all this easy tennis? Why don't you stop fooling around like a child? "

"I am a child," The two walked out.

"Hey, this time, come with me for some errands." Hikari blinked,

"Sure." The followers looked at them.

"Nice atmosphere !"

"Finally, the climax of this date." Nanjiro started to make kissy noises.

- **& -**

Hikari stood from the opposite side of Ryoma in the tennis court,

"Don't get so tense, it's not a match. Just checking your form." Hikari blinked, remembering at the preliminaries.

'He brought his racket for me ?' Hikari nodded,

"I've been practicing. You helped me with my form before, right? Thanks. " Ryoma smiled a bit,

"Isn't that good?" Ryoma served and Hikari swung her arm to return the ball,

"Just like this, right ? " She smirked at Ryoma's small blush that formed from remembering that phrase. The two rallied, the followers stared,

"I can't tell if this is a date or not..." Kachiro looked at them play.

"How boring, I'm going home." Nanjiro kneeled to the ground,

"Hey mister ! What's wrong, dajoubu? " Momoshiro looked at him.

"I'm hungry."

"Can't help it, I'll buy you something." Nanjiro stood up,

"Really thanks !" Momoshiro sweatdropped,

"What the..."

Hikari smiled and returned the ball,

"Thanks for accompanying me, Echizen-kun." Ryoma blushed a bit as the sun shined on her, and the wind blowed her hair. He barely returned the ball,

"N-no problems...Hikari-san."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**** Still on writers block, I'm very confused on how to peice my thoughts and ideas together but I want to at least get out a chapter, so I'm trying my best to keep the story going. If the plot for this chapter seem to like, not transition well, just tell me and I'll like remake a new chapter cause I'm a bit wary. .**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Fourteen : Grand Dream

* * *

Hikari looked at Inui as he bounced the tennis ball, she was breathing rapidly due to lost of energy.

"Myu-Jikku shot-o, " She sighed, it probably been the seventy eight time she had to attempt it, but either way she waited for him to serve. Inui threw up the ball and served.

She ran towards the ball and returned it, Inui rallied with her, a bit proud of her,

' I've been training her, and look at how much she has improved...but she needs more training..' Hikari stared at the ball in surprise as it hit deep far back into the left side of

her court, she spun around with one foot hoping it would work just like that match with Fuji two weeks ago , lifting the other leg back she returned the ball. The sound of the

ball hitting the racket was like a broken pitch of a note on the piano, the ball spun on the floor, but it flew up. Hikari frowned as Inui stared at her,

"You're footing is a bit off, along with the spin. The way you swung your racket, it's has to hit below the center and drag it up, so the ball can form it's circular spin. " Hikari

groaned and nodded, getting in a stance. Inui pushed his glasses up to fit his nose better,

"Practice is over, " Hikari blinked in surprise but nodded to go change.

-** & -**

"I'm home," Hikari walked through the door, Watari greeted her.

"Young lady Tezuka; I've noticed somethings in the mail today. " Hikari blinked confused as Watari held two envelope.

"What do you mean, Watari-san? " Watari gave a soft smile and held out the envelopes,

"A letter, from Hikaru's mom." Hikari took the letter, she opened the envelope to read until someone behind her glomp her.

"**Hikari-chan!**" Hikari blinked in surprise at the familar british accent and turned around to see a, fairly young, european lady in a sunflower summer dress and yellow hat. She was tall and slender, her cheek bones were very high and it defined her face very well. She had long eyelashes that surronded her sliver eyes. Her blonde wavy hair was probably as long as Hikari's, or even longer.

"**Yamabuzuki-san!**" Hikari dropped the envelopes, the paper flying out. Hikari own accent seemed to fit with the other. The lady had red suitcases behind her as two maids came and picked them up.

"**Ahh! Hikari-chan, as well mannered as usual. I told you to call me Hitomi-chan! Just as if I was one of your schoolmates**." Hikari blushed and shook her head,

"**I-I couldn't possibly, y-you're Hikaru-kun's mom!" **Hitomi grinned, her rosy lips revealed her white pearls,

"**It's okay, Obaa-sama isn't here; and neither is Hikaru.**" She opened her mouth to decline again,  
"Hitomi-san, you're here." Hikaru turned to see Kunihimu.

"**Eh!? Uncle you knew?" **He smiled,

"Of course, I invited her to take care of you while I go on a month- bussiness trip back to Europe for the time being." Hikari almost felt her jaw drop, but kept it close. Kunihimu walked away to his office as Hikari turned to Hitomi.

"Who's taking care of your clothing company while you're here?"

"Hikaru is." Hitomi looked at the floor.

"Eh? What's this? Haru no Sakura Masquerade." Hikari bent down and picked up the paper, she read the words out loud,

"Seishun Gakuen is having the Spring Masquerade, where students from all grades come and dress up in western styled dresses. They'll be music provided along with

food, and many other things, Come on the first day of spring, February Fourth. That's in a few more weeks. " Hikari blinked as Hitomi took the flyer,

"Eh? I have to make your dress!" Hikari stared at her as she gushed out about fashion styles and dresses, knowing that Hikari had plenty of westerned style dress. Hikari sighed a bit,

"I don't want to go," Hitomi frowned a bit, Hikari panicked.

"B-but new changes are great for the new year?" Hitomi smiled brighty and grabbed Hikari's hands.

"Honto ne !? I'll make the perfect dress and-" Hikari smiled slightly at her best friend's mom rant on clothes.

-** & -**

Hikari changed her clothes, thinking about today's practice, everyone had once again had small matches against eachother, with the consequences of Inui's remix power

juice. Hikari shuddered and tied her shoes, she walked out to see Ryuzaki-sensei and Ryoma talking,

"Just like your father is, now you know." Hikari walked up to him,

"What was that about? " He just shook his head and walked, Hikari blinked and walked after him.

-** & -**

"After five hours, the men's single finals have become a grueling stamina match. This has become another long rally. The first set was easily taken by a score of 6-0"

Ryoma threw the ball up and down, listening to the T.V without looking at it. Nanjirou turned his head at his son and picked up the remote,

"What are you saying ?! That didn't happen. That's not right, visiting a temple is! " Ryoma looked up at the T.V startled, Nanjirou smirked and threw the remote behind

while picking up the newspaper. Ryoma narrowed his eyes,

"T.V or Newspaper. Pick one!"

"You're not watching it either. So young, but still no energy." Ryoma got up and walked away hearing the distant voice of his cousin,

"I wonder what's wrong with Ryoma-san. " Ryoma sighed and turned on the water in the tub, he proceeded to remove his clothes. He threw his clothes into the laundry bin

as his cat meowed at the sudden impact. Ryoma closed the door and sat down in the tub, staring at the tennis ball float around,

'I'll be waiting for you at 3pm, 3 days from now. I'll bring the balls, come alone. ' those words ran through his head as he let the water run.

-** & -**

Hikari ran towards the basket ball and threw it into the basket, nearly tripping but managed to score.

"Nice shot-o, Hikari ! " Ryoma tied his shoes as Horio came up to him,

"What's wrong, Echizen? Are you sick? "

"Nope." Ryoma got up and went onto the courts.

-** & -**

"There isn't much time before the tournament, make sure you get enough sleep so you're not burned out. "

"Ok ! "

"Roger that !" Everyone chimed,

"Regular's dismissed!" Hikari ran to the girl's locker room,

'Today's practice was hard...' She changed into her uniform and left out quickly, completely drained.

-** & -**

**"Hikari? What do you do afterschool? You seem to come later than usual.**" Hikari gently swallowed her food,

"**I go to tennis practice, - Hitomi**" Hikari corrected herself after the stare she recieved. Silence filled the room as the two ate,

"**Kunihimu had to left this morning." **Hikari stopped eating her pasta and stared at Hitomi from across the dinner table.

"**Already?** " Hitomi nodded and bit into her wagyu steak,

"**Yeah. I thought he informed you this beforehand**." Hikari drank her ice tea slowly with a small frown.

'But he didn't say goodbye...' Hitomi noticed and gave a small smile,

"**Cheer up ol' love. He'll be back**," Hikari nodded and continued to eat.

"**So, how's Hikaru?**"

"**He misses you, ha! Opps, don't tell him I said that.**"

-** & -**

Hikari leaned over as Fuji pushed her back,

"Huh, aren't we missing a few people today? Ryoma-kun isn't here." Horio closed his eyes,

"What's wrong with that guy? "

Hikari sighed and looked up at Fuji,

"Oishi isn't here..." Momoshiro looked around,

"Neither is Captain..." Eiji jumped around,

"Ryoma is late too, what are they doing?"

"Echizen called in sick." Everyone turned to coach,

"Sick? How about Captain? "

"Sick,"

"Oishi ? "

"Sick..." Everyone stared at eachother.

"There must be a virus floating around." Hikari furrowed her eyebrows confused, Fuji noticed her look and grabbed her hand for her to stand up,

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure they're fine." Hikari still looked worried, Fuji patted her back,

-** & -**

Oishi almost dropped out of his hiding space as he watched Ryoma and Tezuka rally,

' Your arm...'

"Can you beat me ? " Ryoma panted and got up, smirking he wiped his sweat.

"I'll do it if you say so." Oishi stared worried as Tezuka returned Ryoma's famous twist serve.

'Normally, balls aimed at the face are hard to return. But just by bendhing his back, he made the twist serve a high shot. He's not playing, Tezuka's going all out. '

"Echizen, why do you play tennis ? Nande, Nande!? " Ryoma looked at him,

"I have someone I want to defeat. " He served and Tezuka looked surprised at his answer,

'What are you going to do when you defeat him ? What will you be left with...' Tezuka stepped back into a form and Oishi gasped,

'Stop it Tezuka, your drop shot...' but Oishi could only stare. The ball hit the ground and rolled back towards the net, Ryoma scowled,

"Echizen, see if you can beat me !" Ryoma smirked widely with his teeth showing.

' The drop shots...will ruin your joints...' Oishi stared as Ryoma served.

-** & -**

Ryoma sat down as he entered his house and untied his shoes,

"Hey young man, you're late. Was it a date?" Ryoma continued to untie his shoes,

"Something like that." Nanjiroh blinked in surpise,

"Huh ? " Ryoma walked upstairs as his father stared at him,

'With that blonde chick again, eh? '

-** & -**

"Eh !? Captain and Echizen are both absent again ? " Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Takashi turned to Oishi. Coach came and saved Oishi from the pressue.

"Don't just stand there, practice ! Regulars, ten laps." Hikari sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose,

'Is Echizen-kun okay ? Maybe I'll go visit later and Aniki, I haven't seen him around much lately.'

-** & -**

Ryoma changed his clothes and got out his racket, he walked outside to go find his father. He recalled what had happened with Tezuka,

_The two rallied, and Ryoma could only stare as Tezuka returned the ball with his own special moves. He ran towards the ball but failed to return the ball. Ryoma kneeled to _

_the floor, tired and drained as Tezuka stared him down.  
_

_"Echizen, Become Seigaku's pillar of support ! "_

"Dad, "

"You're pretty early today, It's very rare." Ryoma threw the ball at Nanjiroh,

"Let's play a game." Nanjiroh caught the ball,

"It's rare that you're willing to challenge me. Finally giving your old man some respect."

-** & -**

Nanjiroh and Ryoma stood on the court,

"No games."

"Sure, what about a handicap ? " Ryoma tightened his grip on his racket,

"No need." Ryoma bounced the ball and served,

"Here you go !" Nanjiroh returned it and the two rallied. Suddenly, Ryoma backhanded a ball and it went almost went pass Nanjiroh, untill he switched hands and returned

it.

"How naive !" Ryoma returned the ball, and Nanjiroh stared with his eyes narrowed,

'The ball movement is different from before.' Nanjiroh smirked and returned it, getting it passed Ryoma.

"Mada Mada Dane."

-** & -**

Hikari walked to the Echizen resident, with miso soup in her bento. She fidgetted with her bag as she stared at the sky, it was an orangey color. Indicating that practice

was way over, she took a deep breath and walked in front of the gate. Hikari tried to muster up all her courage and buzzed the buzzer. A soft femine voice was heard,

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Is this where Ryoma Echizen lives ? "

"Hai, May I ask who you are? "

"I'm Tezuka Hikari, a classmate of Ryoma. I heard he didn't come to practice twice, so I was worried."

"Oh, okay. Come on in. " A women dressed in a gray suit and hair in a bun; which reminded Hikari of a lawyer she'd she on t.v, opened the front gate.

"Hello, My name is Echizen Rinko. Ryoma's mother. I'm sure Ryoma is somewhere in the house, let me escort you." Hikari nodded and entered the house, she sat down on the couch as Rinko went somewhere. Hikari looked around, it was very Japanese styled.

"Hikari-san, There're out in the courts, would you like some refreshments?" Hikari gave a smile and bowed,

"Hai, Arigatou." Rinko laughed,

"Alright, you stay right there while I go get the refreshments." Hikari nodded as she left.

**& -**

The two had rallied furiously untill the sky was turning orange, Ryoma gather his strength, remembering Tezuka's words.

_"Hit it to me, a shot that I can't return...and improve yourself, Echizen !" Ryoma let a small gasp escape as he stared at the ball, he could only think one thing,  
_

_' I can do it !' _

-** & -**

"Here we go." Hikari turned her head to see Rinko carry a plate of lemonade and cookies. She sat down across from Hikari and offered her a drink,

"So Hikari-san, tell me about yourself?" Hikari gave a nervous grin,

"My name is Tezuka Hikari and I recently came from Europe." Rinko blinked,

"Tadaima!" A girl with blue hair came in with groceries in her hands.

"Oh, we have a guest. Hello." Hikari looked at her and stood up,

"Hello." Rinko grinned,

"That's my neice, Nanako Meino." Hikari nodded and sat down as Nanako went into the kitchen.

"**Really being from Europe I'm assuming you know english?" **Hikari nodded,

"**Yes, .**" Rinko blinked in surprise as Nanako came and sat down,

"**Hello, sorry for the interuption for before and now. But I'm Meino Nanako, and you are?" **Hikari smiled,

"** Hikari Tezuka, nice to meet you**." Rinko and Nanako looked at Hikari,

"**An Brittish accent? Are you from england?**" Hikari nodded as she took another sip of her drink. Rinko offered her some cookies and Hikari couldn't help but take some. She looked around the house to see some old pictures of Rinko and a man; assuming that's her husband, from back in the days. Rinko let out a small laugh,

"**I remember when me and Nanjiro first met.**" Hikari looked at her surprised,

"**Really? Please, do tell.**" Rinko smiled brightly; happy that someone wanted to hear _her _love story.

"**Well, it all started at a tennis court.**"

**- & -**

* * *

_One week after arriving in America, Nanjiro is..._

"What? There's some guy from Japan who wants to become a pro? Don't make me laugh! As if a brat from Japan could become a pro here in American," An overweight

american man in a cowboy hat and a matching beard sat in the bar with others around him. He's eyes were covered by sun glasses as others agreed.

"Man, it's so hot today. Damn!"

_What awaits for Nanjiro, who came to American with grand dreams._

A drink was poured over the said man with the cowboy hat as a young asian man stood next to him with the cup, he smirked as the man sat up.

"Uwaa! So cold!" The asian man grinned,

"I'm so sorry, I don't understand any english!" The others that sat next to the man got up,

"Who is this brat?"

"What are you doing to coach smith?!" Smith stood up and looked down at Japanese man. A young asian lady behind the bar, dressed in the required uniform; a polo and

khaki's, looked at the scene with a confused face,

'What's that Japanese guy thinking...He's going to get himself killed.' She jumped over the counter to prevent whatever was going to happen,

"Please, plase excuse him! It was because coach Smith said that it was hot today, that's why he poured water on...uh, how am I suppose to explain this?" She grabbed

the Japanese man's arm,

"Come on! You should hurry up and apologize!" He looked at her confused,

"I don't want to..." She felt her eyes widen and she looked at Smith.

"We're so sorry! Please excuse us!" She grabbed him and ran out towards the tennis courts.

She bent over with her hands on her knees, tired from running. She stood with her back facing the man,

"You're the one the coach was talking about? The Japanese guy who wants to become a pro? If you make an enemy out of coach Smith, you won't just get kicked out of the club, you'll have a hard time becoming a pro. But that was really refreshing to see, I'm Takeuchi Rinko! I came to America to study and hopefully become a lawyer

someday, tennis is just a hobby of mine." The man went behind her and grabbed her boobs,

"I'm not interested in Japanese women," He squeezed them,

"See? So small..." His face was nonchalant as she did so, while Rinko blushed in surprise.

"Mada Mada Dana, you're still growing." He turned to walk away, Rinko scowled and grabbed a tennis ball.

"Die! You freakin pervert!" She threw the tennis ball at the back of his head. He tilted his head and hit the ball backwards with his racket; eyes closed. Rinko widened her eyes in surprise,

'No way! He hit it without looking back." She stared as he stopped walking,

"Even though I'm not interested in B-cups, My name is Echizen Nanjiro. I came to America to fulfill a huge dream of mine." Rinko smiled untill some american girls from the

jacuzzi began to call him over.

"Hi! Nanjiro, come on!" He grinned and flailed his arms around,

"Alright! I'm coming, American Banzai!"

"Hey, it may be none of my business but you're not very sexy in a jersey!" Nanjiro ran off to dive into the jaquzzi,

"Oh yeah! There really huge boobs everyone in America! I must be dreaming, Ready or not. Here I come!" The girls giggled as he dived in. Rinko facepalmed,

'What an idiot.' She leaned against a railing and looked down in her shirt,

"But, is my figure really _that _bad? My breast aren't really that small...see?"

Smith stood with another tennis player as the sun blazed down on them,

"It seems like that Japanese brat is still hanging around the club." Smith turned to the tennis player,

"Idiot! Forget about that brat! In another week, he'll be hitting the wall that seperates him from the pros and he'll run back to Japan crying. More importantly, Michael, you should focus on your training. If you can make it into the top thirty-two in the next tournament, I'll let you debut as a pro."

"Yes sir!" Michael stared at Nanjiro; who was sitting in the tanning chair with two girls clinging onto him,

'That Japanese brat, if he does something to Alisa, I'm not going to forgive him!' Alisa glomped Nanjiro and smiled,

"Oh my, Nan-chan!" Michael scowled,

'But he's already done it...'

Rinko stared at Nanjiro and sighed,

'He's at it again,' She looked up at him as he began to walk away with the two American girls,

"Nanjiro! What happened to your huge dreams? You never go to practice, you'll never become a pro by flirting with chicks all day. This club has many semi-pros, if you practice with them it might even do you some good!" He sat in the back of the pick up truck with the girls,

"Not interested, I'm with three beautiful blonde babes! If this isn't a huge dream, then I don't know what is. Go go, Yahoo!" The car droved off as the girls giggled,

"Slow down Nanjiro!" Michael stared at Alisa's leaving figure and scowled, he punched a nearby tree.

"_Bouncy babes go a hahahahan! ahn ahn ahn!~"_

Nanjiro happily sang in the showers as he shampooed his hair, Michael stood outside the door with a smirk.

"Hey, even if a dirty monkey like you takes a shower, you'll never become clean! Meet me at court thirteen right now, don't try to run away!"

___________

Rinko fumed as she walked to the courts in her Fila tennis outfit and racket,

"How can he give up on his dreams so easily?! That idiot!" She sat down on a nearby bench, She sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Geez, he's so dense."

Smith glared at Michael through his sunglases,

"You idiot! I thought I told you that you had a match coming up next month! How could you get torn muscles, bruises, sprains, and whiplash at such an important time?! What the hell happened?!" Michael looked away with bandages on his face,

"I was playing tennis." Smith turned around,

"You piece of treash! You got beat so badly because you were careless. I don't want to be wasiting my time wit you. You're fired!" Michael felt his eyes widen,

"Coach...Coach Smith!?" Smith turned his head and spit at him.

Smith served another ball,

"Are you guys even trying at all!?" He grunted,

'Hmph, why must I spend the entire tennis day to these brats!?' Everyone gaspes as the ball flew over the ducked head of a kid.

"Hyaah!" The kid squeezed his eyes closed, scared out of the living daylights.

"Hey, isn't that a bit cruel? His opponent's just a kid." Smith turned to the speaker,

"You there, do you have something you want to say?" The man nervously waved his hands,

"Er...no..." Rinko stared at the scene as Smith yelled,

"That's right! You should feel privileged to be able to receive tennis lessons from a former pro like me!" The little boy crawled on the ground as he searched for his glasses.

"Ara? That boy's glasses..." Rinko widen her eyes in surprise as Smith threw a tennis ball up to serve,

'What...what is he trying to do...?' Smith served the ball towards the kid as everyone gasped,

"Ah! Watch out!!" Rinko sprinted foward as she embraced the boy from the ball. She grunted in pain as it hit her shoulder, the boy stood up as she kneeled on the ground.

"Are you alright? Stand back a bit." The boy nodded and grabbed his racket,

"I'm okay, thank you." Rinko turned to Smith,

"How could you do such a horrible thing!?" Smith pointed his racket at her,

"As a former Tennis pro, I'm trying to coach these brats into becoming real tennis players. Stay out of this, woman!" Rinko scowled,

"You call that coaching?! Is hitting a ball at a child who is trying to pick up his glasses something a real coach would do?!" Smith picked up another tennis ball,

"In tennis," He threw the tennis ball up, Rinko felt her eyes widen in fear.

"A little bit of _spartan_ discipline will help them learn faster..." He served the ball over with a malicious grin,

"Experience it with your _own _body!!" Rinko cried out as another ball hit her.

Nanjiro sat on the hood of a car with an impassive face as the American girls began to crowd him,

"Nanjiro, what's wrong? Why the long face?" He shifted his eyes to the right, searching for something.

"Here comes the _unsexy _one." Rinko turned her head,

"Hm?" She looked down at her arm and repatched the bandage on her arm. Nanjiro didn't notice though, he smirked staring at her boobs.

"Hey Rinko, are you wearing your jersey backwards again?" Rinko gave a sad smile at his joke about her boobs being as flat as her back,

"See...it's as I thought, I guess I'm just now that cut out for this." She pushed her hair behind her ear, Nanjiro narrowed his eyes at the bruises on her arms. Rinko turned around and waved her arm; she walked off.

"Later..." Nanjiro turned to Michael,

"What happened Michael?" Nanjiro leaned on the car's window as Michael stood across from his.

"Nanjiro, actually..." Michael looked down as Nanjiro looked up at the sky.

____________

"Alisa-chan! Sorry, but it looks like we'll have to cancel our 'tournament' today..." Alisa giggled,

"Okay." Michael looked at him.

"Tournament?"

Smith walked out of the court and nearby a statue that was also part water fountain. He placed his racket on his shoulder as he walked by it, suddenly the statue broke. Smith looked at the tennis ball on the ground and back up at Nanjiro. Nanjiro grinned,

"Spartan coach, I found you!~ Could you also teach me some tennis?"

"Hey, this is crazy! This time coach Smith is targeting that Japanese guy!"

"That guy's in trouble!" Groups of tennis players ran,

"It's at the center court, hurry!" They ran to see Nanjiro and Smith facing each other.

"Oh! There they are! It's really them!" Rinko stared at the two with wide eyes,

'No matter how good he is, to challenge coach Smith to a match...What is he thinking...? Nanjiro...' Nanjiro smiled and waved at the crowd.

"The best of one set match, Smith service play!" Smith grinned,

"You've got alot of guts! Ha!" He served the ball,

"15-love!" The crowd stared in awe,

"So...so fast! He was ranked eighty - six in the word during his glory days, he still hasn't lot it!?" Nanjiro frowned and placed his racket on his shoulder,

"Mada Mada Dana!" He smirked with his eyes half closed,

"That was so slow, I could return it with my eyes closed! Watch." Nanjiro closed his eyes everyone gasped,

"Ehh!? That guy really closed his eyes." Smith stared at him,

'Is that idiot bluffing with me?' Smith served again,

"Die, you brat!" The crowd stared in shock,

"He's...He's aiming at his face from such a close distance! Isn't that against the rules?!"

"He wasn't planning to follow the rules since the beginning!" Rinko gasped as Nanjiro kept his eyes closed and returned the ball, she recalled the last time she threw a tennis ball at his head. Smith fell backwards as the ball hit his face,

"Stop screaming like a little girl!" He wiped his face as Nanjiro tied his hair back into a pony tail; reminding Rinko of a samurai.

"Mada Mada Dana!" Michael stared as Nanjiro demolish Smith,

"This reminds me of something I heard a while ago, rumor has it that in the past month, there was a samurai warrior from Japan who had been appearing at various tournaments...annihilating all his opponents and winning every tittle..." Rinko gasped and widen her eyes remembering what he said,

_"I came to America to fulfill a huge dream of mine._"

"Yesterday, I was also beaten badly in a match with him because I underestimated him." Rinko stood next to Michael and placed her hand in her left pocket,

"That explains why he's been going out everyday." A guy walked up besides the two,

"Hey you, I heard that Nanjiro Echizen plays at this club, is that true?" Michael looked at the man in shock,

"You're Bundro! The number one ranked player in the world. It's an honor to meet you here! Ah, congradulations on yesterday's tournament." Bundro stuffed his hand in his pocket,

"Yestday, I lost the final match...I was beaten by an _unseeded samurai _boy." Rinko gave a soft smile as she watched Nanjiro play,

_Becoming a pro is only a possing point for Nanjiro, a huge dream...huh._

"Game, set. Won by Nanjiro, six games to love!" Nanjiro grinned as the crowd cheered his new nickname.

"Samurai!  
Samurai!  
Samurai!

Samurai!"

Rinko grabbed her helment and walked to a motercycle, she turned to Nanjiro.

"Nanjiro! You can still make it in time to today's tournament! I borrowed a friend's bike." Nanjiro looked at her as Michael give her the thumbs up,

"Ok!"

The two sped off as Nanjiro held onto her,

"Hey! Where do you think you are grabbing me, Nanjiro?!"

"I can't help it! I have nothing else to hold on to!" Rinko felt a smile crawl on her face as she droved off.

_And so, Nanjiro racked up thirty - seven consecutive wins worldwide. _

_He shook up the entire tennis word and left his mark as the legend of the samurai lives on..._

_Some years later, in a Los angeles suburb._

"Eh...retirement?" Nanjiro looked at Rinko; her hair had growned longer and she had devolped more.

"It's already been done." She frowned,

"Huh? Why? If you win the next tournament, you'll be ranked number one in the world for the first time in your career! I'm shocked Nanjiro, what on earth are you thinking?!" Nanjiro sat down and reached his arms out to a little boy, the size of a tennis racket; wearing a white cap and jeans. The boy ran up to him with a racket to him,

"Hey Rinko, don't you think this kid's got a pair of nice eyes?" He grinned at the kid's feline eyes,

"Come here! Oh, are you going to be coming after me, Ryoma!" Rinko smiled; feeling truly happy as she watched the two.

_He's found another huge dream._

"I'll look forward to the day when you'll be able to play against your new rival, dear."

* * *

**- & -**

Ryoma let out a grunt as he put all his effort into the return, His hat fell off from the impact to hitting the ball. Nanjiroh stared intently as Ryoma hit the ball, the ball had

seemed to be much more different then before. Nanjiroh's pupils shrunk as the ball flew passed him, Ryoma picked up his hat with his racket,

"Yes !" Nanjiroh frozed at what just happened,

"Dad, I want to be stronger, much much stronger. " Nanjiroh stared in disbelief,

'Sending him to Seigaku was the right choice.' he smirked as Ryoma picked up his hat.

' I don't know who it was, but she or he understands Ryoma's personality and gave him what he needed he most. In other words, they lit up Ryoma's fire.'

"You seem happy, what happened?" Ryoma turned around and smirked,

"Betsuni, I'm going to keep coming after you. "

**- & -**

"That is such a lovely story!" Hikari smiled as Rinko took another sip of her lemonade. As Nanako nodded in agreement.

"Even if I heard it a million times, it would never get old." Rinko looked up at the clock,

"Oh right, Hikari-san. It's getting late, did you want something from Ryoma?" Hikari blinked in surprise,

"H-Hai!" Rinko stood up with the tray, with Nanako stood up as Rinko walked towards the kitchen; she then yelled out.

"Go out through the back door! You'll find them!" Hikari nervously nodded,

"Thank you very much, Echizen-san." Hikari wondered around till she saw a cat, she smiled at it and opened a door to see Ryoma and a guy she presumed to be Nanjiro.

"Echizen-kun? " The two turned to her,

"Hikari-san? What are you doing here?" Hikari stood there, awkward.

"You didn't come to practice, two days in the row. I heard you called in sick so...I brought some soup." Ryoma's hand twitched at the thought of Hikari's food, he was beginning to get hungry, but he needed to play against his dad.

"Ho Ho, is she the reason why you came late yesterday? " Ryoma glared at his father,

"No-"

"Hikari-san! It's getting late, I hope you can get home safely." Rinko noticed that they were still playing, and that Hikari was practically pleading with her eyes for help.

"Oh, it seems if you guys were busy. Come on Hikari-san, I'll drive you home." Hikari nodded and stumbled to get out of the situation fast. Hikari looked at Rinko with grateful eyes as soon as they reached inside,

"Echizen-san, I'll leave the soup for Echizen-kun over there," Rinko chuckled as Hikari frantically got out a peice of paper and a pen.

"Alright, thank you for coming here." Hikari wrote a note and folded it over the bento. Hikari bowed and nodded her head,

"Good bye." Rinko escorted Hikari out and to her car as Nanako waved goodbye from the front door,

'Ryoma-kun sure knows how to pick out cute girls.'

**- & -**

Ryoma walked back inside after an hour, He walked inside to see a small bento with a peice of paper on it.

_Fatty, _

_You're not sick at all, Baka baka baka ! - _

_Next time please inform me you're not REALLY sick._

_Don't let me catch you doing this again._

_**Or I'll kick your butt back to the states.**_

_Even though you're not REALLY sick, _

_Enjoy the soup._

_- Your best friend, the hunch back._

Ryoma lifted an eyebrow at the threat she gave him in english but continued to get the soup out anyways, he took out the spoon and sipped it, noting that it was still hot.

But he didn't mind, it made it taste even better. Nanako smiled as Ryoma happily ate the soup, savouring each taste.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. ****Oh, random note. I first was introduced to Prince of tennis on t.v on cartoonnetwork; around 2007. The first scene I had saw was Ryoma clutching his eye, with blood flowing out of it. How lovely, episode 19, Ryoma is Injured. My reaction was ' WTF!? -changes channel-' but then I had a comercial and went back to Ryoma, I finished the episode and got addicted. Same with Naruto, first scene I ever got was Naruto and Sasuke in a lip lock, another ' WTF!? -changes channel- ' moment. Good times, Good times.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Fifteen : Karupin

* * *

Ryoma lied in bed, curled up against his cat, he groaned and reached his arm up to his alarm clock. He silenced it and put his alarm back away.

- **& - **

Hikari fluttered her eyes opened as Hitomi shook her shoulder,

"Hikari-chan! I _have _to dress you for school today!" Hikari shot up from her bed, her eyes wide and she felt a little be sweaty. She turned to her alarm and noted that she woke up an hour before her alarm,

"Huh? Oh. Hitomi-san, don't you have work?" Hitomi smiled,

"I can always design clothes later, right now I'm working on your dress." Hikari yawned and got up to take a shower as Hitomi grabbed her cosmetics.

- **& - **

Ryoma walked downstairs with a tired expression,

"Ohayo, Ryoma-san."

"Ohayo." Ryoma sat down at the table. Nanako smiled and looked at Ryoma,

"Isn't strange, Ryoma-san usually oversleeps, but now he is waking up earlier." Ryoma widened his eyes at his breakfast, it was eggs, carritsm cucumber, a hash brown,

and a crossiant. Ryoma scowled at his food,

"Mom!"

"Auntie had already left. She said she had a meeting or something." Nanako walked towards Ryoma,

"Next time I will cook a Japanese breakfast for you. Ah, Karupin's awake too." Karupin mewed and jumped on Ryoma's bag with a cat toy.

"Karupin likes that cat's toy, doesn't he? Maybe it's because Ryoma-san bought it."

"Yeah right,"

"Karupin come here, I'll give you some food." Karupin perked his head and walked towards Nanako, dropping the cap toy. Ryoma drank his milk and looked down at a

book,

"Studying?"

"Yeah. There's an english test in first period. It's so easy I might make a stupid mistake. So I'm going to take a glance at it."

"Since it's your best subject, you don't want to do bad in it, right?"

"I won't do bad anyway." Ryoma looked at the clock and threw his book inside his bag. Karupin looked up,

"I'm going," Ryoma grabbed his bag and walked out,

"Be careful, okay? Hey, You didn't eat your breakfast."

"Steal....Hikari....Bento..."Nanako blinked, trying to understand what he said. Ryoma began to run to school, until he heard a mew. He turned around,

"Karupin! Don't follow me, I'll play with you once I get back. " Karupin twitched his eyes and mewed, as Ryoma began to run to school. Momoshiro rode pass Ryoma on his

back,

"Hey you! You're going to be late to school."

"Takes one to know one!" Ryoma reached out for Momo. Karupin jumped up on the post and stared at Ryoma.

- **& - **

Hikari walked out the bathroom with her robes on,

'Where is my uniform?'

"Hikari!" Hikari widened her eyes in surprise as Hitomi grabbed her and put her in the chair.

"C-chotto matte! What are you do-"

- **& - **

"Aw. this sucks, a test in first period. Where's Hikari-chan?" Ryoma looked through his bag as Horio looked around.

"Huh?" Horio looked at Ryoma

"Ano, Echizen, what's wrong?" Ryoma took out the cat toy, Horio looked at it,

"What's that?" Ryoma looked at it bewildered,

"The cat's toy, oh no!" Ryoma gasped,

"Nothing." Horio grinned,

"I got it! You don't have confidence in the English test either!" Horio laughed and got Ryoma in a headlock,

"Comrade, comrade." The bell rang and Hikari came running in.

"Hikari-hime! You look more beautiful today!" Nashi stared at Hikari with his jaw droped, Ryoma turned to look at Hikari. Her hair was down and straighten; so it went pass her butt and ended near her thighs, her face seemed to glow and her eyes were outlined with black. Her bangs slightly covered her eyebrows. Her lips were glossed and she had a pale blush on her face. Hikari stood in front of the door, extremely awkward at how high her skirt was put up. A cough was heard and Hikari turned around,

"Sensei!" Hikari made way for the teacher and he walked in.

"Get to your seat, Hikari-san." Hikari scrambled to her seat, her black high heels made no noise as she walked down the isle.

"Class, we're going to have a english test. Take out your pencils and I'll pass them out." Hikari sighed and passed the extra test paper back, she looked down at the test.

'This is really too easy,' Hikari scribbled in the answers and put her pencil down. She heard a yawn and looked at Ryoma. She shook her head,

'He probably thinks this is easy as well.'

"What's wrong, Echizen?" Hikari looked at Ryoma who stood up, the class stared at him as well. The teacher walked up to him as Ryoma stared outside the window.

"What? You've finished already?" Ryoma turned back to the teacher as he handed the paper back,

"Here, finish the last question." The class gasped, Horio gaped,

"Eh? Last question?" Hikari shook her head and laid her head down, tired.

- **& - **

Horio and Ryoma walked to the science room, Hikari stood by Ryoma and Horio; even though she had high heels she was still shorter than Ryoma, by one inch.

"I'm shocked, I couldn't do anything on the test."

"Mada mada dane, Horio." Horio scowled and opened the door.

"Just because you did slightly better, doesn't make you better." Horio blinked as he saw Inui,

"Eh?" Inui turned around,

"Yo."

"How come you're here, Inui-senpai? This is where our next class is."

"I have some experiments I want to do during my break. I got permission from the teacher." Horio nervously chuckled,

"Is that so?" The trio walked up to him, watching him pour a green liquid into a yellow one, making it turn purple.

"Interesting color, what's that?"

"A prototype of the new vegetable juice. Want to try some?" Horio deadpanned, and shook his head.

- **& - **

Fuji looked outside the window, his blue eyes open, Kikumaru sat next to him,

"Have you ever seen a Himalayan spotted cat?" Eiji looked up,

"Himalayan spotted cat? What's that?"

"Next, Kikumaru-san please read." Kikumru blinked and winced, he stood up with his book.

"Yes!" Fuji cupped a hand over his mouth and whispered,

"Page eighty-seven, line six." Kikumaru cheekily smiled,

"Thanks, N-now when I think about it, wheter it's us or those residents, the exceptionally direct greediness is what made it-" Fuji smiled and turned his head towards the

window.

- **& - **

Karupin walked around the school, looking for his master. He popped up against one of the class windows,

"Sensei!" The class turned to Tezuka shocked as he walked up to the teacher,

"W-what's the matter, Tezuka-kun?" He leaned near the chalk board,

"You've made a mistake in the third formula." Tezuka walked back to his seat and Karupin got off of the window and proceeded to walk around, he stopped by one of the

food counters. He mewed, hungry for some food. He walked off and proceed up to the school roof. He turned around as the door clothes, he raised her paw, in hop to

reach the door knob.

- **& - **

Momoshiro ran over to the lunch room.

"Oba-san! Sausage roll, melon bread, curry bread and friend noddles bread, okay? " The lunch lady stared at him,

"I got it, so why don't you wait in line." Momoshiro sheepishly grinned and walked into the back of the line,

"And blueberry juice!"

- **& - **

Eiji sat with Fuji eating his lunch,

"It's horrible, my sister decided to use the last of my precious toothpaste!" Fuji just chuckled and continued to eat his bread.

- **& - **

Ryoma sat in his chair, looking at his cat toy, with Hikari besides him. Horio walked up to the two,

"What are you doing?" Ryoma continued to look at his toy,

"Nothing." Horio pulled up his wrapped lunch and grinned,

"Let's eat lunch." Ryoma looked to the side,

'Hmm, it was Karupin after all." Hikari suddenly got up, and grabbed her bags and walked off. Ryoma stared at her as Horio sat in her seat,

"Geez, what's wrong with her."

- **& - **

Hikari walked up to the roof and opened the door, silently closing it. She looked around and spotted a white blob, curious she walked towards it. She blinked, surprise to

seeing a cat sleeping there. Cautiously she poked it with her foot, the cat shot up and looked at her. It tilted it's head at her as she sat down nearby, Hikari opened her

bento and looked at her sandwhich. She smiled at the cat and ripped a peice of her bread and slowly offered it to the cat. The cat mewed and slowly sniffed the bread, it

perked it's ear and bit the bread, Hikari chuckled feeling the tounge of the cat. Hikari sighed and took a bite of her sandwhich,

"So what are you doing here, Neko-san?" The cat tilted it's head and Hikari laughed, ripping another peice of her sandwhich and gave it to the cat. The cat jumped at her,

"Ah!" Hikari fell backwards as the cat ate the peice of sandwhich, Hikari laughed and sat back up, with the cat in her lap. Hikari starred at her half eaten sandwhich and

back at the cat, she shrugged her shoulders and gave it to the cat.

"Here you go Neko-san, I'm not that hungry. In fact, I haven't been hungry as much this week." The cat looked up with a piece of lettuce in it's mouth, Hikari laughed and

leaned back, using her hands to steady herself.

"I guess you could say I'm scared." Hikari looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. She snapped her eyes open and stared at the cat that mewed,

"I'm scared for tomorrow, " she looked down and noticed that it was done with her sandwhich. She smiled and reached into her bag, getting out a water bottle. She slowly

poured some water into her hands and put her hand near the cat's mouth. She laughed as it licked her hands,

"I see you were very hungry and thirsty,"

- **& - **

Ryoma sat with Horio, trying to eat his lunch fast,

"Why are you eating so fast?" Ryoma continued to chew,

"Ryoma-sama, I've finished the banner!" Ryoma turned to Tomoko and saw Sakuno next to her blushing, Sakuno placed her brownies on the table as Horio pointed at her.

"You can actually make this!?" Sakuno blushed and smiled,

"I-It's actually quite easy, all I did was bake."

"Looks good!" Tomoko smiled,

"Now, Ryoma-sama. Eat this and do well in your match tomorrow!" Ryoma turned to her as Horio reached for one,

"I'll take one." Tomoko swatted his hand.

"No you won't!" Horio stepped back,

"Why not?"

"Becuase we brought it for Ryoma-sama."

"Don't be such a cheapskate! It's just one anyway." Momoshiro walked in,

"Echizen, Wow! You'be got some good stuff there!"

"Momo-senpai."

"I want some too!" Tomoko smiled,

"Go ahead, Go ahead!" Horio fumed,

"What the! You gave me such a hard time!" Momoshiro reached for the bakery and stuffed one in his mouth,

"He's been taking care of Ryoma-sama all this time, so it's okay." Ryoma raised his eyebrows,

"Taking care?" Momoshiro grinned,

"Mm, Delicious!" Ryoma looked at the food and took two brownies, he stood up.

"What's wrong, Echizen?" Ryoma turned to Momoshiro,

"Momo-senpai. Please give me this," Ryoma took the blueberry juice and walked off, Momoshiro looked at him with a sweatdropped.

"That kid really doesn't think of as a senpai, does he?" Horio stepped up besides Momoshiro,

"Echizen has been acting kind of strange today, So was Hikari-chan." Tomoko turned to Horio,

"Did something happen to Ryoma-sama?" Horio smiled and crossed his arm,

"Uh-huh, I know everything about top of that, I have two years of tennis experience." Momoshiro turned to Horio,

"You said Hikari-chan and Echizen were both acting strange today?" Horio nodded his head, Momoshiro shook his head with a grin,

"Ahh, a lover's quarrel." The three looked up at Momoshiro,

"Lover quarrel?!"

- **& - **

Ryoma walked around the school, searching under chairs and benches. He walked around the hallways, looking left and right for any signs of a furry animal, he calls

Karupin.

- **& - **

Hikari smiled and slowly reached out her hand over the cat's head, it looked up at her and she patted it's head, the cat mewed as Hikari stroked it's ear.

"You're so cute and fluffly. I wanna make sure I can meet you again one day." Hikari grabbed her bag and took out her pink ribbon; she wrapped a bow around the cat's neck. The cat mewed and looked up at her,

"Now, you keep that ribbon safe, and when we meet eachother again one day I can be sure it's you." The cat ear mewed and suddenly looked up, Hikari turned around and

saw two girls coming up,

"Let's have lunch here." The cat's ear perked up and ran out, jumping off Hikari. Hikari let out a small gasp as the cat ran out, the two girls gasped as they saw a white blur

pass by them,

"W-what was that just now?" Hikari sighed and got up, brushing her skirt. She quickly packed her things and walked out the door. She walked down the stairs and saw

Ryoma looking up,

"Echizen-kun?" Ryoma looked at her as she walked down besides him.

- **& - **

Hikari sat in class, watching as Ryoma fidgetted around. She raised her eyebrow but said nothing. The bell rang, and she watched as Ryoma shot out of his chair and

quickly packed his things. She blinked at him in surprise and grabbed her things as fast as she could, she ran out the room trying to catch up with him.

"Echizen-kun!" Ryoma slowed down a little bit as she caught up to him and he continued his fast past. Hikari paused and stared at him, but continued to walk after him.

Once they neared the locker room, Hikari grabbed Ryoma's shoulder,

"What's wrong?" Ryoma shook his head and walked into the lockerroom. Hikari stared at the door as Momoshiro passed by her,

"Peeping tom?" Hikari blinked at looked up at him,

"N-no! U-uh, It's nothing." Hikari ran off to the girl's lockerroom. Momoshiro raised his eyebrow and walked inside,

"Yo, Echizen, Aren't you early? What are you doing?" Ryoma looked at his cat toy,

"Betsuni." Momoshiro walked to his locker and stared at Ryoma,

"Is there something you're worried about?" Ryoma looked up,

"Why?" Momoshiro shrugged and took off his shirt,

"Nothing, just a thought. Horio said it too. That you're different from usual, " Ryoma looked down at his cat toy,

"My cat..."

"Eh, so it's not Hikari-chan.." Momoshiro mumbled, then he realized what Ryoma said.

"Huh?" Ryoma stood up,

"I think I saw him at school." Momoshiro turned around,

"So he followed you?"

"No, he couldn't have. It's quite a distance from here." Momoshiro bent down to his bag,

"Speaking of which, my classmates said they saw a girl and a white raccon on the roof with a pink ribbon around it's neck during lunch break. There's no way that raccoon

is your cat right?" Momoshiro turned around with a smile, then stopped as he saw Ryoma clutching the cat toy with a shocked face.

"I...I will go check the roof." Ryoma turned to run off, Momoshiro grabbed his shoulder,

"Hey, wait! That was during lunch break when they saw him and it was with a girl, that was until he ran down the stairs and escaped." Ryoma turned around with a worried

expression,

"But, he is around somewhere. Wait, did you say there was a girl with him?" Momoshiro nodded,

"Who was she? How'd she look like!?" Momoshiro frowned,

"I don't know, but here. You can borrow my bicycle," Momoshiro gave him a key,

"Go look on the streets from here to your house. Don't worry, cat's are better at finding their way around than people." Ryoma looked down,

"But, he's never been swo far away from home before." Momoshiro smiled,

"That's why you should go and find him. Maybe he already went home, right?" Ryoma frowned,

"Resolving things quickly will help you to not worry so much. Just go, Echizen." Ryoma stared at him and grabbed the key,

"Momo-senpai, I will definintely return the favor."

"It's all good, It's al-" Ryoma ran off,

"Come back quickly, hrmm...now I wonder what's wrong with Hikari-chan." Momoshiro shook his head and changed his clothes. He walked outside and went to Tezuka,

Oishi, and Coach Ryuzaki,

"Yea, something about a celebration for his relatives. He had to go home for a little white. He said he would come back soon." Momoshiro smiled as he crossed his fingers

behind his back.

"He could've told us, we're going to finish early today. Tomorrow's the prefectural tournament after all." Momoshirp nervously laughed and walked away, he noticed Hikari

absent mindlessly hitting the tennis ball against the wall,

"Hikari-chan" Hikari gasped and turned around, missing the ball. Momoshiro jogged over to her,

"Hai, Momo-senpai." He grinned and wrapped in arm around her,

"Did something strange happen today?" Hikari blinked and slowly nodded her head,

"So you know about it?" Momoshiro grinned even more,

'So there is a lover's quarrel.' Momoshiro nodded his head,

"Yup! Do you want to talk about it?" Hikari cocked her eyebrow,

"What's there to talk about it, it was there and suddenly left." Momoshiro tilted his head,

"What suddenly left?" Hikri furrowed her eyebrows in confusion,

"The cat...? What are you talking about Momoshiro-senpai." Momoshiro felt his eyes widen,

"You were the girl with the white raccon?!"

- **& - **

Ryoma peddeled on the bike, looking around, he stopped and cupped his hand around his mouth,

"Karupin!"

- **& - **

Karupin twitched his ear and jumped off the roof and into the boys locker room. He scanned his eyes around the room and saw his cat toy, he perked his eyes and ran

towards it, he leaned against the bench, trying to reach his toy. Kaidoh walked in,

"Who left the door open- huh?" He looked at Karupin and Karupin looked at him. Kaidoh bent down and snapped his finger, trying to get the cat to come over. The cat

turned his attention back to his cat toy, Kaidoh looked at the cat toy,

'Why is that there, well whatever." Kaidoh slowly began to walk over, Karupin turned his head at him. Kaidoh stopped and looked the other direction, he then grabbed the

toy. Karupin stared at him, Kaidoh began wiggling the cat toy.

"Here." Karupin began wagging his tail, following the direction of the toy.

"Here, here." Kaidoh began playing with Karupin.

- **& - **

Inui started writing some stuff in his notebook,

"Kaidoh is late, 20 laps around the court." Horio looked up and saw a blushing Kaidoh,

"Speak of the devil." Kaidoh looked down, still blushing, and walked pass Inui,

"Yo."

"Afternoon."

"He's in a good mood." Horio looked up at Inui,

"You can tell?!"

- **& - **

Momoshiro grabbed Hikari's shoulder,

"That raccon, was it a-"

"Everyone, were going to pair up with eachother for a small practice match. Kikumaru vs Oishi, Fuji vs Takashi, Momoshiro vs Kaidoh, Inui vs Hikari-san. Let's go!" Hikari

stared at Momoshiro, weirded out, and quickly left off. Kaidoh walked up to Momoshiro,

"Let's go." Momoshiro widened his eyes,

'Why is everyone acting strangely today!?'

- **& - **

Hikari stood on the opposite court with Inui,

"Hikari-san, I hope you're ready for the tournament." Hikari frozed and slowly nodded her head,

"I-I suppose."

- **& - **

Momoshiro looked around.

"So Echizen didn't come back after all- huh?" He looked at the sudden crowd around the locker room,

"Momo-senpai, there's a racoon in the clubroom..." Hikari snapped her head at this and ran towards the boy's locker room.

"Racoon?" Kaidoh stood behind Momoshiro and blushed, Momoshiro gaped at the sleeping cat. He felt a small push besides him and stared at Hikari.

"E-eh, this is the boys locker room." Hikari blushed and shook her head,

"Neko-san!" The cat woke up and perked his head up at seeing Hikari, Hikari blinked in surprise as the cat ran up to her with the cat toy in it's mouth. She slightly smiled

as the cat jumped on her legs, she reached down her head and patted it's head.

"We meet again, Neko-san."

- **& - **

Hikari walked with Oishi, Takashi, Momoshiro, Fuji, and Tezuka to Ryoma's house with the cat in her arms.

"Neko, you want to eat fish." Takashi leaned down to the cat, Momoshiro chuckled,

"He doesn't seem interested." Takashi walked infront of his shop and waved.

"Ja ne!" Hikari nodded and continued to walk, until a white car passed by and the window rolled down,

"Syusuke, Hikari-chan want a ride?" Fuji turned to the car,

"Nee-san! It's okay, Hikari-chan's walking to Echizen's house." The lady smiled,

"Is that so? Maybe another time." Fuji turned around,

"Ja ne!" Momoshiro smiled,

"Thanks for today!" Hikari smiled and nodded her head, she turned back and continued to walk.

"Ahh! 80 yen short!" The group turned around to see Eiji running out the store door,

"Eiji?" Eiji turned around,

"Huh? Oishi! Please! Lend me 80 yen, lend me 80 yen, lend me 80 yen!" Kikumaru began pouting and jumping up and down,

"80 yen?" Hikari felt the cat tilt his head, she smiled and stroked it's ear, earning her purs.

- **& - **

Nanako ran to Ryoma.

"Did you find him Ryoma-san?" Ryoma shook his head,

"Not here. I'll go to school and check once more." Ryoma turned and ran off,

"Ryoma-san, Don't worry! We'll definitely find Karupin." Ryoma nodded and ran to put on his shoes. He ran towards his door, and frozed as it opened to reveal Tezuka, Momoshiro, Kikumaru and Oishi.

"Yo." Ryoma stared at them and slowly began to close his door.

"Hey, Hey! Echizen!" Momoshiro yanked the door open and stepped aside, revealing Hikari with playing with Karupin in her arms. Ryoma widened his eyes and stared at

his cat intently. He then softened his eyes and looked down,

"Thanks." Hikari handed Karupin to Ryoma. Tezuka stepped up,

"This is from Ryuzaki-sensei." Teuka handed Ryoma a peice of paper.

"Sorry." Oishi placed Ryoma's bag on the sidewalk,

"I'll leave your bag here." Kikumaru waved his arm,

"See you tomorrow."

"Send my regards to your relative!" Ryoma blinked as Oishi,Kikumaru, and Tezuka began walking away,

"Relative?" Momoshiro began to laugh. Ryoma turned to Momoshiro,

"What's this about a relative?"

"Ah, right." Ryoma smirked,

"You want to play a little? In return for the favor earlier?" Momoshiro grinned,

"Returning a favor by having a match?" Hikari bent down and looked at Karupin in the eye,

"Ja ne, Neko-san." Karupin mewed and jumped at her, Hikari stepped back in surprise and wrapped her arm around him. Karupin mewed and licked her face, Hikari

laughed and closed her eyes,

"Neko-san, stop it- it tickles!" Karupin mewed and continued to lick her face. Hikari stopped smiling and looked up at the two, Ryoma and Momoshiro stared at her, slightly

blushing.

"Nani?" Ryoma shook his head,

"Ah, Ano, D-Do you want to come inside and play with Karupin?" Hikari looked up at the sky.

"I will, next time I come over, but Hitomi-san is waiting for me at home to do something today. Ja ne!" Hikari handed Karupin back to Ryoma, she turned around and walked off. Momoshiro laughed and patted Ryoma's back,

"You fixed your lover's quarrel! Good job and she's even coming over for a 'next time' " Ryoma widened his eyes,

"What?" Momoshiro laughed even more and walked inside,

"Let's go play!"

- **& - **

Momoshiro returned the ball back to Ryoma,

"I'm gonna cause a commotion there!" Ryoma smirked and ran towards the ball,

"Too bad, Momo-senpai." Ryoma swung his arm back,

"It's me who'll cause a commotion!" Ryoma's hat flew back as he hit the ball.

- **& - **

Kikumaru looked at the toothpaste that was held up to his face,

"Wow, a new type of toothpaste!" His sister nodded,

"That's for using up yours." Kikumaru grabbed the toothpaste and hugged his sister,

"Thank you, sis!"

- **& - **

Fuji smiled and picked up his cactus,

"Syusuke, for the prefectural tournament starting tomorrow, why don't I do a tarot reading on how it'll go." Fuji turned around,

"Sure, but Yumiko-neesan, your tarot reading is pretty good. It's scary." Fuji got up and closed his blinds.

- **& - **

Inui sat at his computer, typing in data.

- **& - **

Kaidoh stayed at the tennis courts, practicing his Boomerrang Snake.

- **& - **

Oishi looked at his fishies in his tank, he smiled and got up, closing his light as he went off.

- **& - **

Takashi kneeled down and scrubbed the table as his dad stood behind the counters,

"Hey Takashi, go to sleep." Takashi continued to scrub,

"Okay." His dad smiled,

"You don't need to help tomorrow morning either, " Takashi stopped rubbing and looked up,

"Eh? My condition would get worse! Let me do it!"

- **& - **

Hikari stood in her pajama's with her arms spread out,

"Your waist line is about...24 inches." Hitomi measured Hikari as she yawned.

- **& - **

Momoshiro laid down on his bed,

"Echizen's shots have gotten stronger." Momoshiro yawned.

- **& - **

Ryoma fluttered his eyes opened, feeling a sudden shift underneath his blankets. He lifted the blankets up and saw Karupin, he blinked in surprise at the pink ribbon but

smiled and put the blankets back down.

"Oyasumi." He closed his eyes as his breathing slowed down and drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

**A/N: This chapter is like 44 pages in total on Microsoft Word. Ryoma's birthday is today, Happy birthday Ryoma! I'll make his special right after this one. Then work on my Christmas special, or I can add them together. I might do that :D Happy Christmas Eve everybody! I'm choking on Ryoma's insane jealously (:**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Sixteen : Fake Ryoma Echizen

* * *

Hikari frowned and shot up from her bed,

"Hikari-chan, you have your prefectural matches today. Come on, I have to dress you up!" Hikari groaned in response and flopped back down on her bed. Hikari looked around for her alarm clock,

'Its 8:30am…Its 8 o'clock!? Damn, Hitomi-san woke me up 30 minutes before my alarm.' Hikari switched off her alarm and walked off to the bathroom. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste; she looked in the mirror as she brushed her teeth,

'I looked like I didn't get a wink of sleep,' Hikari spat out the water and wiped her mouth. She put her hands under the faucet and watched the water over flow her hands. She frowned and splashed the water on her face. She looked up and saw her face pale, with small unnoticeable, noticeable to girls, bags under her eyes. Hikari frowned and got out the bathroom and proceeded to go to her room. She walked in and got to her closet, she looked at her Seigaku jacket and shirt. Reluctantly, she grabbed it out and changed clothes. Hikari sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, hoping that it'll get any tingles out of her way.

"Hikari-chan! You look like you haven't slept in years!" Hitomi grabbed Hikari by the shoulders,

"**I bought water resistant make up yesterday! This concealer will definitely cover your bags!**" Hikari forced out a small smile as Hitomi began to dress her up again.

- **& - **

Hikari sat down at the table with Hitomi; and waited for her to finish her breakfast.

"**You're not going to eat?**" Hikari shrugged,

"**I'm kind of nervous for the matches**." Hitomi smiled,

"**At least eat something so you can have energy**." Hikari nodded and got some bread.

After finishing their breakfast, Hitomi called for Watari.

"**Yes Lady Yamabuzuki?**" Hitomi stood up to face Watari,

"**Please get the car ready for us, I'm going to drop Hikari off. Then go back to work**." Watari nodded and smiled,

"**Of course, it'll be done in five minutes or less." **Watari walked off as Hitomi walked to Hikari.

"**Come on, I'll take you there!**"Hikari nodded and grabbed her tennis bag; and put on her white tennis shoes as Hitomi slipped on her highheels.

- **& - **

Hikari stepped out the car and looked at the courts.

"**Good luck, Hikari**." Hikari turned to Hitomi; who was in the front seat and had the windows rolled down.

"Hikari-chan!" Hikari turned around and saw Eiji and Fuji. Hikari slightly smiled,

"Kikumaru-senpai!" Eiji bounced over,

"Is that your mom?" Hikari blinked in surprise as Hitomi lightly laughed,

"**No, I'm not. However I have to go now, come back home with a winner's smile. Okay, Hikari?**" Hikari nodded as the car droved off. Eiji glomped Hikari,

"That lady was really pretty! What was she saying though?" Fuji smiled and stepped up towards them,

"That was an english accent, she said; ' No, I'm not. However I have to go now, come back home with a winner's smile. Okay, Hikari? '" Eiji nodded,

"Sugoi! Hoi Hoi, are you ready for the prefectural matches?" Hikari slowly nodded her head,

"Ohayo." Then Hikari heard a hiss, she turned around and saw Kaidoh and Takashi.

"Ohayo, Kaidoh-senpai, Taka-senpai." Kaidoh nodded his head in return and Takashi slightly waved his hand,

"Ohayo, Hikari-chan." Tezuka walked off to do some captain work. Hikari stood by Fuji, with Takashi, Eiji and Kaidoh watching the people play on the courts. Coach Ryuzaki came up to the group,

"Come on guys, before we're late." Hikari stood and looked around, noting that some members were missing.

"He's late, what's Ryoma's doing?" Hikari looked around, seeing everyone was here but Ryoma and Oishi, even Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo were here.

"If we don't register with nine people by 10am, we'll be disqualified," Takashi looked around,

"That'll be bad."

"This sucks." Tezuka blinked,

"What about Oishi? Did he manage to contact Echizen?"

"Doesn't seem like it." Horio scowled,

"That guy, he has to pick today to be late." Sakuno and Tomoko walked up,

"Ryoma-kun's late?" Tomoko grinned,

"It's just like Ryoma-sama to be late for the Prefectural Tournament. He's way too funny!" Tomoko began laughing, Sakuno turned to her,

"Tomo-chan, to say something like that…"

"Oi, I contacted Echizen." Hikari turned and saw Oishi running towards them.

"Seems like he helped a pregnant women who was in labor get to the hospital." Everyone stared at Oishi, completely shocked and awkward out. Momoshiro looked at Hikari,

"That's a lie, right?" Hikari slowly nodded her head,

"I think so…" Kaidoh closed his eyes,

"100% lie."

"If we wait for him, we won't meet the dead line. He'll get his scolding later; anyway we have to somehow register." Ryuzaki went into her bag and got out a white cap; she looked around and stared at Horio.

"Kaidoh! Lend him your jersey!" Horio widened his eyes.

**- & -**

The team walked up to the sign in booth,

"Number 128, Seigaku. Please register the nine of us." The guy picked up the board,

"I'll confirm your position here; you will play 6 games in the first round. You need at least 4 games to move on. In order to qualify for the Kantou Regional Tournament, you will have to be in the top five. The top four schools will qualify automatically. The four schools that lose in the quarter finals will compete for the last spot. Is that okay?"

"Understood." The guy smiled,

"Yes, okay. Huh? Seigaku has two freshman players? One of them is a girl." Horio winced and Hikari looked up. Hikari walked up besides Horio as everyone stared at the two.

"Is there something wrong?" Hikari nodded her head as Horio kept the cap down,

"Ma...Mada Mada Dane, Hn." Everyone stared at Horio as the guy laughed,

"How trustworthy. Well, good luck." Everyone groaned and sweat dropped. Hikari stuffed a laugh,

"Hai hai, Mada Mada Dane. Echizen Ryoma."

**- & -**

Ryoma ran off towards the court,

"Being late like this, aren't you taking it easy?" Ryoma froze and turned to a guy with dark navy blue hair.

"Seigaku's Echizen-kun." Ryoma stared at him,

"Who are you?" The guy smiled,

"Hmm, you're awesome. Being a regular in your freshman year." Ryoma began to walk off,

"You're using your left hand today, right? Echizen-kun." Ryoma stopped and looked up,

"Wearing your uniform, are you going back already? Mada Mada Dane." The guy blinked as Ryoma walked off,

"How arrogant, But this 'I won't lose 'attitude will only make the games more irritating. "

**- & -**

Hikari stood with her classmates,

"Ryoma-kun isn't here yet?" Horio grinned and tugged on the jersey,

"What do you think? Looks good, so I've become a Seigaku regular, huh? Well, with my skills it's possible anyways." Hikari blinked and turned to Horio,

"You, a regular? Don't flatter yourself." Katsuo nodded his head,

"You're getting carried away again. It'll be troublesome if you get caught." Kachiro nodded,

"But I am a little jealous, you get to wear a Seigaku regular's jersey." Horio grinned,

"Yeah, but it's a little big since its Kaidoh-senpai's" The people around him started to chatter,

"Look its two Seigaku regulars, one of them is a girl!"

"Wow, they must be really good!" Horio looked at someone playing on the court,

"What a terrible serve!" Hikari got annoyed,

"Horio-san, that Seigaku jacket shouldn't feel so good on you. Since after all, you didn't earn the jacket." Horio shook his head,

"That serve can't compare to my twist serve." A bulky guy came up to the group,

"Hey brat, you can do the twist serve, eh?" Horio nervously smiled,

"I hate snobbish guys like you the most! " Horio raised up his hands,

"I'm not lying." The guy leaned towards Horio,

"Then why don't you be my opponent? The practice court is empty, so come!" Hikari noticed Horio's situation and debated whether or not to help him. She decided to help him, after seeing Kachiro's and Katsuo's pleading stares. Hikari stepped up besides Horio

'Kuso, what would Echizen do in this situation? He'd probably piss them off by saying, 'mada mada dane' 'Hikari mentally face palmed and looked up at the guy,

"Mada Mada Dane." The guy scowled and points his racket at Hikari,

"What would you know you little brat, your just a girl." Hikari glared at him as he walked away.

"Hikari-chan," Hikari turned around and saw Fuji walking towards them,

"We have to go warm up now." Hikari nodded and left the group,

"Ja ne." She walked with Fuji; she frowned and looked up at the sky. Fuji turned to her with his eyes closed,

"Something wrong?" Hikari blinked,

"Betsuni." Fuji raised an eyebrow but turned front and nodded his head,

"Saa."

**- & -**

Hikari began stretching, along with the other regulars,

"Even though it's the first round, don't underestimate your opponents!" Hikari turned to Eiji,

"Help me stretch?" Eiji nodded and pushed her back as she bent all the way over, her palms touching the ground and her nose touching her knees.

"Sugoi! Hikari-chan is so flexible!" Inui turned,

"It's Yamabuki Jr. High" Ryuzaki widened her eyes as she saw the Yamabuki's coach,

'Banji, so you came after all.' Tezuka turned to Ryuzaki,

"Nani-ka?"

"Betsuni, is Echizen here yet?" Tezuka shook his head,

**- & -**

Hikari stood by Fuji, she watched as her teammates effortlessly defeated the others.

"Singles third! Tezuka Hikari vs. Suzuki Yoshina! "Hikari gripped her racket tightly and stepped back,

"W-What if I lose again…" Fuji snapped his eyes open and stared at her, he gripped her shoulders lightly,

"Hikari-chan, you can do it. If you just believe in yourself…" Hikari shook her head,

"N-No! I'll lose again!" Fuji frowned and leaned down towards her face,

"Don't say that, you improved. I know you have," Hikari shook her head,

"I haven't gotten Myu-jikku shot-o finished yet!" Fuji frowned and looked at her straight in the eyes,

"You have to try."

**- & -**

Ryoma walked by the courts,

"-Show me your twist serve!" Ryoma stopped and looked at the scene, he saw Horio in a Seigaku jacket and the other freshman's. Horio looked down, scared and unsure of what to do.

"Echizen!" The freshmen turned to see Ryoma over by the fence. The hulky guy scowled,

"Seigaku's freshman regular! Hurry up and serve!" Ryoma raised his eyebrow,

"Hmm?" Horio grinned and nervously scratched his hate,

"Hai! In a sec!" Horio turned to Ryoma,

"You're late! Hurry up and switch with me! Come and play this guy-"Ryoma turned and smirked,

"Good luck, Echizen-kun." Ryoma walked away and Horio run up against the fence,

"Wait a second! I beg you!" Ryoma stopped,

"You're Echizen, right? Well I can't help it. A week's worth of juice is ok, right?" Horio deadpanned,

"Three days worth! This happened because you were late in the first place!" Ryoma turned around,

"A month's worth is ok too." Horio scowled and tighten his grip on the fence,

"That's not right, Ryoma-kun. You're the one who was late, just help Horio-kun" Horio turned to Sakuno,

"Hey you dimwits! What are you being so slow for?" Sakuno and Tomoko turned around and glared at him.

"Wait a moment!" The guy stepped back surprised. Ryoma set down his bag and waved his hand,

Ryoma changed into his clothes and walked up into the court with an amused smirk,

"I, Horio, with 2 years of tennis experience, will play in place of Echizen-san."

**- & -**

Ryoma walked up to his team, with the other freshmen behind him.

"Echizen, you're late. What were you doing?"

"Just a little warming up," Momoshiro grinned and rubbed his fist into Ryoma's head,

"What warming up, you brat! When we go back, its 40 laps around the school for you!" Ryoma struggled to get out of Momoshiro's grasp,

"That's hurts, Momo-senpai!" Ryoma looked up and saw Fuji leaning down to Hikari, Ryoma felt his eyes widen a bit and he scowled as he saw Hikari's shocked face. Hikari slightly nodded her head and walked to the courts. Ryoma held his eyes wide, wondering what she nodded yes to.

"Suzuki to serve!" Hikari watched as Suzuki threw up the ball and served, Hikari ran up towards the ball and returned the ball, the two rallied until Hikari hit a high lob, Suzuki smirked and waited until the ball was at head level with her, she swung her arm up vertically, adding a spin to the ball as it flew over the court and landed on the court, spinning wildly and it stayed on the floor. Hikari stepped back in surprise and stared at the ball.

"15-love"

"There it is! Suzuki's wild top spin!" Hikari turned back to Suzuki, who had a smirked on her face, and she directed her gaze to Fuji. Who stood there and smiled at her, Hikari slowly shook her head and waited for Suzuki to serve.

Ryoma stared at the game, noting that Hikari improved since the first tournament match, but he wasn't so sure if she improved enough to defeat her opponent, who continually use her ' wild top spin'. Hikari watched as Hikari hit another lob,

"Game! 3-1, Suzuki leads and to serve." Ryoma watched as Hikari continuously hit high lobs,

'What is she doing, she's basically giving her points to her opponent with every lob.'

"30-love" Hikari wiped her forehead, tired and watched her opponent sweat. Suzuki smirked and threw the ball up and served, Hikari rallied until she hit another lob. Suzuki smirked as the ball flew up,

"Give it up! You never are going to return my wild top spin!" Hikari looked as Suzuki raised her arm to swing it, suddenly as she swung; her arm froze, missing the ball.

"30-15." The crowd gasped, Hikari smirked and gripped her racket tight. Suzuki turned to Hikari,

"What the!?"

Inui furiously scribbled in his notebook as the Seigaku team stared in confusion on what was happening,

"Ne?! What happened, "Inui stopped writing and looked up, his glasses flashed against the light,

"Hikari continuously hit high lobs on purpose, every time her opponent swung her arm up vertically. Her forearm muscles contracted to do her wild top spin, eventually after doing this move continuously. It began to put a sprain on her forearms, momentarily stopping her actions for a second. It's just like what happened to Echizen, except this time the sprain was due to the way Suzuki hits her top spins." Everyone stared at Hikari as she smirked and got into a stance, ready to play.

"Game won by Tezuka"

"Game won by Tezuka"

"Game won by Suzuki."

"Game won by Tezuka."

"Game won by Tezuka. Suzuki to serve!"

Ryoma stared at the two girls panting as Suzuki bounced her ball and threw it up, Hikari quickly returned it, turning it into another rally. Hikari hit a show towards the base,

"15-love!" Suzuki scowled and served again, Hikari rallied,

"15-15"

"30-all"

"40-all" Hikari stared intently as Suzuki served; she ran towards the ball and returned it, creating another rally. Suzuki smirked and hit it towards the right as Hikari ran towards the left, Hikari let a small gasp escape her mouth as she automatically turned around, spinning on her right foot, lifting her left foot up. She swung her arm in a reflex, watching the ball spin over and into a circle, staying on the floor. A musical sharp noise was heard as the ball hit the floor.

"Myu-jikku shot-o!"

"Game and match, Tezuka Hikari, 6 – 4 " Hikari looked up and a smile broke out on her face, she shook hands with her opponent,

"Good game." Suzuki scowled but sighed,

"Yeah, Good game." Hikari smiled and ran off towards her team,

"I did it!" Fuji laughed as she hugged him,

"Thank you! For talking to me before I went to play, it really cheered me up!" Ryoma scowled,

'What did he say to her?' the team congratulated her as Hikari stared at the score board,

Doubles two, 0-6.

Doubles one, 0-6.

Singles four, 0-6.

Singles three, 4-6.

"Singles two! Echizen Ryoma vs. -"

"Echizen! Prepare yourself for the match now." Ryoma nodded and walked up to the court as Hikari walked up to Horio.

"But he did a sliding shot on purpose! Making this jersey dirty on purpose…What should I do? I borrowed it from Kaidoh-senpai!"

Hikari watched as Ryoma dominated his opponent,

"Ryoma-sama, Yahoo!" Inui looked as Ryoma played and caught a figure on the other side of the fence,

'St. Rudolph's'

"Game and match, Seigaku's Echizen."

Horio grinned,

"I feel so excited for this new match!" Shiba looked,

"Singles no.1 Tezuka Kunimitsu…" Hikari stared as Tezuka walked up with an air of dominance around him; everyone stared to gossip about what was happening.

"One set match! Seigaku's Tezuka to serve." Tezuka stared at his opponent and threw up his ball,

"15-love" Hikari watched in slight awe as continuously served a ball.

"This is captain Tezuka's real strength…"

"Mada mada dayo." Hikari turned to Ryoma,

"The captain's real strength is nothing like this. Right now it's just warm up exercises." Fuji smiled,

"There are very few opponents that'll make Tezuka go all out." Hikari looked back to the courts. Tezuka served against.

**- & -**

Hikari stood at the score board, as they played a new school.

Double twos, 0-6.

Doubles one, 1-3.

Hikari turned her attention back to the game, and watched as Eiji and Oishi missed a point. Inui turned to Fuji,

"Even though you won 6-0, which was a rather long match." Fuji nodded and took a sip out of his drink,

"They hit at rather hard places to return." Inui furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the St. Rudolph guy.

"Game and match! Seigaku, 6-1"

"It's expected from the golden pair." Tezuka crossed his arms,

"You two were careless, the mistakes were clearly noticed." Eiji took a sip out of his water bottle,

"They played the kind of tennis I don't handle well." Oishi nodded,

"Same here."

"Again, huh?" The two turned to Inui,

"They were aiming at the spots you weren't good at, eh…"

"The opponents are winners of district tournaments too. They must have done some research on us." Inui turned around,

"Hmm, but it sure is hot today…" Tezuka and Ryoma stared at Inui as he walked away. Eiji grinned,

"O'chibi is up next!"

"Hai." Ryoma walked in.

"One set match! Seigaku's Echizen to serve!" The St. Rudolph student stared from outside the fence with a smirked,

"Did you collect some good data?" He turned around to Inui,

"Yeah, Inui-kun."

"You are, I think, St. Rudolph's new manager."

"It's not 'I think' is it? You've been keeping an eye on me for a while now, haven't you?" He turned around to Inui,

"Mizuki desu. Demo, I'm honored that Inui-kun knows me."

"Is it okay for you to not go and support your own team?" Mizuki smirked,

"They should have won by now. Doubles two, 6-0. Doubles one, 6-2. Singles four, 6-3, Singles three, 6-2, I believe." Inui slightly smiled,

"Impressive to be able to predict so much from data alone." Mizuki chuckled,

"If Inui-kun says so, I have more confidence in it."

"It's possible to analyze it using data. Though, it can be a double edged sword too."

"What do you mean?" Inui walked up towards the fence,

"You approached them, right? Akiyama Third Jr. High. You probably told them about Seigaku's weak points before the match. Thanks to you, the matches were difficult even though we ultimately won. You wanted to know how our players would perform if their opponents knew their weaknesses during the match, and you collect the data. Am I wrong?" Mizuki smirked,

"Just as you said. Because of that, even Akiyama Third Jr. High put a fight against Seigaku."

"Game and match! Seigaku's Echizen, 6 – 0 "

Inui walked back up to the team,

"We have to be very careful of St. Rudolph,"

"What's this all about?"

"They will do anything to win," Inui shifted his gaze towards Hikari,

'They'll aim for our greatest weaknesses.'

**- & -**

Hikari walked besides Ryoma with Momoshiro up ahead of them, with Sakuno and Tomoko behind them.

"Hey, thanks for last time." Hikari blinked and looked at the orange haired boy,

"You just left me there." Everyone stared at him as he suddenly looked at Hikari,

"Ah! You're the cute girl I saw at Seigaku." Hikari blinked, trying to recall if she knew him. Tomoko gasped,

"The guy from that incident…"

_Ryoma hit the ball as Hikari grabbed Tomoko's racket and walked up, standing across Ryoma as he hit the tennis ball. She raised her racket up and began hit the ball back, Ryoma's eyes widened in surprise at the action but smirked as the ball increased its speed. Hearing footsteps, Hikari stepped to the side and saw an orange haired kid. Ryoma narrowed his eyes at the boy and swung harder, hitting him on the face._

"I see! You and your girlfriend are Seigaku's exceptional rookie?" Momoshiro grinned as Hikari blinked in surprise,

"You're going public now, Echizen? Oh, and you're Yamabuki Jr. High's Sengoku, who was chosen as one of the top players among Jr. High students." Momoshiro leaned towards Ryoma,

"Hey, Echizen. Do you know him?"

"No way, this is the first time I've met him." Momoshiro turned to Hikari as she shrugged her shoulders, Sengoku frowned,

"Hey hey," Tomoko turned to Sakuno,

"They completely forgot about him…" Sakuno nodded,

"Yeah, but that's just like what happened when I first met them." Ryoma turned to Sengoku,

"Hey, are you good?" Sengoku grinned,

"Heh, aren't I?"

"What's up Seigaku, you're here too?" Momoshiro turned to see Kamio and Shinji,

"Yo Kamio."

"Next is Hyotei, right?" Kamio nodded,

"Yeah, I have to thank that Atobe guy from last time."

"Don't do this just to pay him back." Shinji turned to Ryoma,

"How's the new product."

"It's good."

"Really, I'm jealous. I really wanted it, though there was only one left." Hikari turned to Kamio's and Momoshiro's conversation,

"We still owe you guys one, especially Mamushi." Momoshiro grinned,

"Alright, Even if that idiot loses, we'll win and take the championship." Hikari heard a hiss and turned to see Kaidoh,

"And so? And so what if who loses? Which idiot is going to lose?" Momoshiro smugly smirked,

"Didn't you hear earlier, I'm talking about the idiot in front of my face?" Kaidoh scowled,

"What?" Kamio stepped up,

"Hey Mamushi, Isn't this good timing? Got that? The next time we play, it'll be different than before- Hey, are you listening or what?!" Momoshiro and Kaidoh continued to glare at eachother.

"Kamio, Shinji let's start heading out."

"Hai, Tachibana-san. "Tachibana turned to Ryoma and Hikari,

"Pass this message to Tezuka, Even though this is a fierce battlefield, let's meets in the finals." Ryoma turned to his Senpais,

"That's what he said, Senpais!" Momoshiro and Kaidoh growled at each other. Hikari turned to Ryoma,

"Echizen, I forgot to ask you, what did you think of my match?" Ryoma scowled, remembering what Fuji did.

"Mada Mada Dane." Hikari scowled,

"What do you mean!?"

**- & -**

Fuji sat with Tezuka

"As expected, Kantou region tournament's usual participant has won. " Tezuka took a sip out of his drink,

"Just once, I'd like to pay in the middle of a cheering crowd like that."

"Seigaku regulars, assemble!" Hikari tugged on Ryoma's sleeve and walked towards Ryuzaki.

"Okay, we're playing St. Rudolph in the quarter finals; this is the lineup, Singes 1 – Tezuka Kunimitsu. Singles 2 – Fuji. Singles 3 – Echizen. Doubles one – Kikumaru and Oishi, Doubles 2 – Momoshiro and Kaidoh. "Momoshiro stared at Kaidoh and vice versa,

'Doubles, with him? 'Inui step up with his note book open,

"St. Rudolph Gakuen is gathering all of the famous players in the region. They are a lot better than they were last year. Captain Akaza, who plays singles, is still around. He is a strong opponent who beat our regular senpai last year. I'm also worried about Yuuta-kun, Fuji's younger brother. He has been thoroughly trained to attack left-handed players. People even started to call him the 'left handed killer'. I heard he was going after his brother." Hikari stared at Fuji's smiling face,

"But I'm not even left handed." Fuji raised his left hand. Hikari blinked and turned to Ryoma,

'Isn't Echizen left handed also?' Inui pushed up his glasses,

"Yeah, but he could be after Tezuka as well. It looks like the new manager is controlling them well."

"Manager?"

"Yeah, he's a member of the reinforcement group, a pretty tough opponent."

**- & -**

Hikari walked next to Ryoma as he carried bags,

"Ryoma-kun shouldn't have to do the shopping just before the next match,"

"Ryoma-kun, do you want me to carry one?"

"Iie." Horio pointed his finger,

"He's a regular, so let him do it himself." Hikari and Ryoma stopped walking and stared at the boy with brown hair,

"Is that you, Ryoma Echizen?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Fuji Yuuta. "Ryoma smirked as Kachiro gaped,

"Eh? So that means Ryoma's next opponent in the tournament is Fuji's brother?!" Yuuta scowled,

"I'm not Fuji's brother, I am myself! Fuji Yuuta!" Hikari blinked in surprise,

"Sumimasen!" The three bowed as Ryoma walked by him with a smirk,

"Well, nice to meet you." Hikari walked after him, along with the other boys.

Hikari reached the Seigaku team and proceeded to eat lunch, she sat down next to Kikumaru and Fuji. Hikari bent over and reached for the strawberries near Fuji, he snapped his eyes opened and continued to smile,

"You have pretty hands, Hikari-chan." Hikari blinked and looked down at her petite, yet slender hands.

"Really? My nails are growing pretty long," Hikari noticed that it was actually really long; she could probably hurt someone with it.

"Maybe I should cut them," Fuji shook his head,

"No, I like them the way they are." Hikari blushed a little and nodded her head as she bit into the strawberry.

**- & -**

Each team stood in front of each other,

"The winner will get the ticket to the Kantou region Tournament. Let's play with no regrets."

"I never thought that I'd be playing against the 'all-Japan' pair. "Hikari walked off as Momoshiro and Kaidoh stayed to play, Kaidoh bent down to tie his shoes,

"I can't believe I have to play doubles with you."

"Yeah, it sucks. But think of the people who are sitting this match out, like Taka-san or Hikari-chan." Momoshiro poked his racket at Kaidoh,

"Don't touch me." Kaidoh pushed the racket away, hitting Momoshiro in the face. Momoshiro scowled,

"Hey, that hurt Mamushi. " Kaidoh turned around and grabbed Momoshiro by the front of his shirt,

"What did you say!?" Hikari stood with the team as watched,

"Let go of me Mamushi," Kaidoh let go,

"You want to go at it!?" Ryoma turned his head,

"Were those two like that before?" Fuji nodded,

"Yup, they were rivals even before you joined the team." Kikumaru turned to Inui,

"Inui, show them that…" Inui got his notebook and flipped to a picture of Momoshiro and Kaidoh as kids.

"Whoa! They're so young!"

"Kaidoh-senpai's bandanna hasn't changed one bit!"

"Oh, how cute!" Inui turned to look at the two,

"Those two have been going at it since they joined the team."

_Little Kaidoh held out his bandanna to little Momoshiro,_

"_Are you the one who got my bandanna dirty?" Momoshiro grinned,  
_

"_My bad! But there's no need to get mad over it." Kaidoh scowled,_

"_You! You better apologize!"_

"_What do you want?" _

"_You to apologize!" Oishi and Inui walked into the locker room,_

"_What's going on?" They looked as the two grabbed each other shirt,_

"_Hey, you're getting way too close to me!"  
_

"_You too! Being so snake like, you're an eyesore!" Kaidoh hissed as the two pushed each other,_

"_Cut it out!" The duo accidently hit Oishi, making him fall._

"_Damn it! I said cut it out."_

"Eh, so those two have been fighting ever since that day? "

"Kaidoh, don't get in my way," Kaidoh hissed at Momoshiro,

"You too." Horio stared at them,

"I think we've had this kind pair before…" Horio looked at Ryoma and Hikari argue,

"-my hair isn't that god damn long!" Ryoma looked at her,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari fumed and crossed her arms,

"Why you-"

"One set match, Seigaku's Momoshiro to serve." Momoshiro served as the two rallied, until the opponent hit a lob. Momoshiro jumped up from behind Kaidoh,

"Don."

"Kaidoh-kun's approach with Momoshiro-kun's smash, they're both very calm."

"The game has just started, and I had no idea that they could do that kind of play, I admire them…"  
Kaidoh stared off,

"Your smash was shallow, you need to aim better."

"Baka, if you go out for the long reaches like that, I'm going to do that." Kaidoh turned to Momoshiro,

"What did you say?" Horio stared at the two,

"They still haven't stopped with their bickering," Ryoma smirked as Hikari huffed,

"-Damn it, Echizen. Go suck on some ponta!" Horio stared at the duo,

"Neither have they…" Ryoma smirked,

"It doesn't matter because you're Mada mad-"Katsuo and Kachiro covered Ryoma's mouth,

"Don't say that! You'll make things worse." Hikari scowled and walked off to Fuji,

"-they've been watching each other for a whole year."

_Ryuzaki looked at Kaidoh and Momoshiro swinging their rackets, she turned to Inui,_

"_Are they still swinging their rackets?"_

"_Yeah, I told them both to stop, but…" Kaidoh and Momoshiro glared at each other,_

"_I won't lose to you!" _

________

_They began picking up their speed as they picked up tennis balls,_

"_I won't lose to you." They both reached for the last ball,_

"_It's mine!"_

_Kaidoh returned the ball,_

"_I won't lose to you!" Momoshiro smashed the ball,_

"_I won't lose to you!"_

"Game, Seigaku. 1-0" Hikari sat down besides Fuji,

"Hey, I don't even want to play with you."

"I was going to say the same thing." Hikari yawned and stretched her arms forward, Fuji grabbed Hikari's hand, and brought a finger up to his face.

"Do you take care of your hands? They're really soft and you're nails seem to be very clean." Hikari blinked in surprise, Ryoma saw the two and scowled. He walked over as Hikari was about to reply,

"Those nails would probably get in the way when you play tennis." Hikari stood up and pointed to Ryoma,

"No they won't! If they did, they'd probably break by now." Ryoma scoffed and walked away,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari scowled and walked after him,

"Don't you walk away from me!" Ryoma smirked as he went back to where he was standing before, but this time Hikari was besides him.

"Seigaku! Cut it out, return to the game." Momoshiro and Kaidoh turned to their opponents,

"Damn, in order to end this game. We'll just have to beat you guys first!"

"Game, Seigaku 2-1." Kachiro cheered,

"They're doing it!" Ryoma tipped his hat and scoffed,

"Tch," Hikari scowled and turned to Ryoma, stepping closer to him,

"That's it! I'm goin-" Hikari tripped on her shoe lace and fell on Ryoma, Ryoma blinked and caught her. Hikari looked up as he looked down at her impassively.

"Are you okay?" Hikari had a tinge of red across her face and nodded, Horio grinned,

"Looks like they can play doubles after all."

"It's working out well, they can both bring out their strong points." Fuji nodded,

"Being rivals probably just increased their energy." Kachiro smiled,

"The three of us are rivals, right?" Horio grinned,

"As if! I'm on a different level than you guys," Katsuo turned to Horio,

"How mean, one day. I'll be better than you!"

The opponent smirked and hit the ball at Kaidoh's left side, Momoshiro frozed,

'It's going down to Kaidoh's weak side.'

"Get back Kaidoh, its coming!" Momoshiro stepped up as Kaidoh stepped down. Everyone stared as the guy jumped and spun in the air. Momoshiro scowled,

"Drop shot, I can't let you guys get that!" Momoshiro returned the shot; the guy returned it as it passed by Momoshiro. Kaidoh ran to the ball, he widened his eyes and returned the ball.

"15-love" Hikari starred at the ball that hit the net.

Momoshiro got up,

"Kaidoh, how come you didn't hit the snake?"

"Urusei, you should put your right leg in front when you take a drop shot, shouldn't you? You still haven't changed your habit." The two opponents turned around,

"It wasn't snake after all." Momoshiro stared at them,

"Those guys have details on our data."

"Heh, that's what they want." The guy served and Kaidoh returned it, the two rallied. Kaidoh backhanded it,

"What's wrong, not going to use snake."

"Urusei!" Kaidoh continued to back hand it.

"What's wrong, scared, Dane?" Horio frowned,

"The snake has been sealed!" Hikari watched intently as they continuously rallied. The sun was hot on Hikari's head as Horio watched the long rally,

"How long is this rally going to continue?" Hikari groaned,

"It's hot." Ryoma looked at her, Hikari reached her hand up and stole his hat. She placed it on her head,

"Much cooler." Ryoma blinked,

"Oi, give me back my hat." Hikari stuck out her tongue,

"Yada." Inui looked at his stop watch,

"It's been forty minutes."

"Yeah, they must be exhausted. Because of this heat,"

"Change court!" Momoshiro sipped his water bottled as Kaidoh wiped his face, Ryuzaki sighed.

"So, how're you guys doing?"

"Yeah, they're pretty tough, it's fun though."

"Aren't you out of breath," Momoshiro closed his eyes,

"You trying to pick a fight." Ryuzaki waved her hand,

"You guys are too heated up-" Hikari ducked under Ryoma's arm,

"Give me back my hat."

"No way! It's way too hot!" Ryoma scowled,

"I know that! That's why I want my hat back!" Ryuzaki stared at them,

"You're just nitpicking at each other."

"I'm calm!"

"I wonder…"

"What's that!" Ryuzaki scowled,

"Stop it. You two seem to be more energetic than I thought." Momoshiro turned around,

"I suppose." Ryuzaki smiled,

"The opponents seem difficult, what should you do?" Momoshiro grinned,

"Use strength," Kaidoh furrowed his eyebrows,

"Use determination!"

"To win!" The two walked off as Ryuzaki stared at them. Horio frowned,

"It's over for our Senpais, they're already in a bad position and their combination is even worse." Hikari put her hand on her head,

"No way! Let go of the hat!" Ryoma scowled and leaned in her face,

"It's my hat!" Hikari scowled,

"Doesn't matter! I'm hot!"

"Statistic say we'll win by 6 – 2, Dane! It seems just right," Momoshiro and Kaidoh scowled,

"Dane, dane…you're annoying dane!" Hikari put more pressure on the hat as Ryoma pulled,

"I don't care!" Horio, Kachiro, Katsuo stared,

"Wow, they're so in sync!" Everyone stared at them,

"Let's go! Let's take control."

"I know, don't order me around."

"I'm not, I'm talking to myself-huh?"

"Time! Please do it quickly." Mizuki nodded as he swiped the courts.

"Hey you, don't interfere with the match now."

"Gomen, your exciting play has made the line hard to see." Momoshiro stared at him,

"Thank you." Tezuka stared,

"Calling out dampened Momoshiro's spirit." Fuji nodded,

"He seems to have other intentions as well." Mizuki walked over to where Inui was,

"Too bad Inui-kun. Bench coach is the only one on the court who can give players advice during a match,"

"Bench coach is a registered player, and you're only able to supervise the players."

"If you had made it on the regulars, you would be advising them." Mizuki chuckled.

"Advice? On what? There's nothing to advice on,"

"You, if you're finished please go back to your seat." Mizuki turned around,

"We'll be the ones saying 'sorry for your lost.' "

"Game count: 5 – 2, St. Rudolph's lead. Yanagizawa to serve." Yanagizawa served the ball, the doubles rallied,

**- & -**

Hikari went into her jacket's pocket, fishing out some yen. Ryoma turned around,

"Echizen, Hikari-chan. Where are you doing?"

"To buy juice."

"It's not the time for that, is it? You never change, even when the Senpais are in trouble." Ryoma turned around as Hikari counted her money,

"Trouble? Where?"

"But St. Rudolph has gotten all of our data and thought of the perfect strategies already."

"Then, that's all St. Rudolph is, people aren't data alone." Ryoma turned around and walked off with Hikari.

"Deuce again!" Momoshiro grinned,

"I'm raging,"

"Oi, Kaidoh, you're still not going to use "it" huh?"

"Are you scared of how it'd be returned?"

"Not even." Kaidoh hissed and turned around,

**- & -**

Ryoma leaned on soda machine drinking his grape ponta as Hikari pushed a button, she took her watermelon ponta and popped the lid opened. She drank her drink,

**- & -**

Kaidoh got into his stance and hissed, Yanagizawa served, Momoshiro returned it.

The guy hit it back, Kaidoh went to the left, hissing. He swung his racket forward, the ball curved over. Everyone stared in surprise, Kaidoh hissed.

"Advantage, receiver."

"There it is! Boomerang snake!"

"Mada mada dane." Everyone stopped cheering and looked at Ryoma and Hikari drink their ponta,

"That's incomplete right?" Kaidoh looked at him,

"Yeah."

"If it's singles, it'd be counted as out." Kaidoh stared at him as he drank more ponta. Hikari chuckled and adjusted Ryoma's hat on her head,

"It was still a nice shot though." Hikari gave Kaidoh the thumbs up.

"That's why Kaidoh was put into doubles this time."

"Yeah, and one more reason. There's a guy who'd get heated up by seeing that." Fuji nodded,

"Even if it's Momoshiro he won't simple mindedly get heated up…" Momoshiro scowled,

"I won't lose to that guy," Tezuka crossed his arms,

"He's simple minded, that guy."

"Indeed."

Kaidoh returned the ball,

"It's going to be boomer rang snake!" They gasped as Kaidoh hit the ball,

"It's snake!" They hit ball as a lob, Momoshiro jumped up and smashed the ball,

"Don!" The ball hit the ground and bounced out of the court,

Hikari turned her head and watched as a yellow blur hit Ryoma,

"Ow." Hikari laughed, and picked up the ball.

"Game Seigaku, 5-3."

"Momoshiro's dunks smash!"

"That wasn't a dunk smash, which was two times harder than his original." The guy stared at the crate on the floor,

"The power has increased." Momo rotated his shoulder as Kaidoh hissed, they stared at each other,

"I'm raging."

**- & -**

Hikari stood next to Ryoma with the tennis ball in her hand, Ryoma swiped his hand over her head, she ducked.

"If you need shade on your head so damn bad, then go to that tree!" Ryoma scowled,

"I don't need the shade, I want my hat." Hikari smirked,

"I'll give it back, " Ryoma blinked as Hikari ran off,

"Oi! Where are you going!?" Hikari sat down under the tree.

**- & -**

Kaidoh boomerang snaked the ball again,

"15-love" Momoshiro grinned,

"Heh, nice going." Kaidoh fixed his bandanna,

"You won't be able to shine anymore, just stay back and watch me." Momoshiro scowled,

"What, don't give me that attitude. Mamushi."

"What did you say!?" Kaidoh grabbed Momoshiro's shirt,

"Huh!?" Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh's shirt.

"Don't mess with me, I don't want to see your face anymore."

"You're the one dragging me down."

"What! You're the one doing it!"

"Why did I have to be paired with you!?"

**- & -**

Hikari sipped her drink and turned her head to Ryoma, as he sipped his drink. Ryoma adjusted his hat and looked at Hikari,

"Aren't Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai an odd double pair?" Ryoma nodded,

"They're mada mada dane."

Momoshiro served the ball, the two rallied, until Kaidoh boomer rang snaked it, Yanagizawa returned it with a high lob. Momoshiro ran and jumped, Fuji widened his eyes,

"Masaka. It's a slice pin lob that has a lot of hang time and gets caught in the wind easily. To hit with dunk smash is suicide. " Momoshiro raised his arms and slammed down his arm, the guy gasped as the ball went towards his face. He flew backwards from the impact, everyone gasped.

Ryoma smirked as Hikari nudged him with her feet,

"He totally just copied your twist serve at the ending."

Horio shook his head,

"Momochan-senpai, "

"The guy, he got dunk smashed in the face." The guy lay on the floor with a bruise.

"Hey, are you okay!?" Momoshiro jumped over,

"You okay!?"

"This is bad, I don't think he can continue." Momoshiro scowled,

"Get up, the match isn't over." The referee and other team mates took the guy away.

"Due to St. Rudolph's forfeit, Seigaku wins." Momoshiro and Kaidoh gaped,

"I can't believe we won a match like this." Fuji nodded.

"They do play strangely." Momoshiro frowned,

"What? Wait up, I can't accept this win." Kaidoh hissed,

"Tch." Kaidoh walked away.

Kikumaru and Oishi got up,

"We will now start the second match of the quarterfinals in D-block with the first doubles."

**- & -**

Ryoma lied down with his hand behind his head under a shade of a tree, Hikari lied down next to Him. Ryoma took his white cap and covered it over his face, Hikari softly sighed and put her hand over her face.

"Hey do you know St. Rudolph's Yuuta Fuji?"

"The 'left handed killer?' "

"I heard he trained just for the match against Seigaku's Tezuka." Hikari frowned,

"But due to the playing order, he's playing against Seigaku's male freshmen regular."

"Doesn't that mean Seigaku's in for it?"

"So is that guy left handed?"

"Actually he is," Hikari scowled as they laughed. Ryoma sat up,

"Even worse than!" Hikari looked up at Ryoma as he sighed,

"If I was playing a south paw, I'd love to play McEnroe in his prime.-"

"Ah! There you guys were." Horio stopped and noticed the two alone, he grinned and held up his pinky,

"Ryoma-sama!" Tomoko and the rest caught up with Horio,

"What are you doing here?" Hikari slowly sat up as Ryoma picked up his empty can,

"Gomen, can you go buy some juice for me?" Hikari picked up her empty can and clashed it with Ryoma's,

"Me too please."

"We don't have the time for that. Oishi-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai are-"

**- & -**

Tezuka watched as his doubles missed,

"Game won by St. Rudolph. Game count 2 – 0, St. Rudolph leads."

"Out, 15-love" Hikari stood in between Fuji and Ryoma,

"Eiji's concentration is being disorientated. " Hikari looked up at Fuji,

"30-love"

"Akazawa is great at singles, but still an amateur at doubles. There must be a reason they used him in this situation. " Kikumaru panted, Ryoma narrowed his eyes,

"Doesn't it look there are 5 or 6 balls?" Horio turned around,

"What do you mean Echizen?"

"The big guy that hits the ball." Hikari looked up at Ryoma and back at the game, Hikari saw 3 balls instead of 5.

"Three balls…?" She widened her eyes and looked at Ryoma.

"Ugh," Hikari frowned as he suddenly widened his eyes and rub them,

"Echizen-kun, are you okay?" Hikari put her hand on her shoulder. Ryoma shook his head and directed his vision elsewhere. Hikari slowly dropped her hand, Inui watched as Akazawa returned the ball.

"That's it! Akazawa habitually hits his backhand by hitting the ball at the top center, instead of using the sweet spot, he uses the impact from the racket to return it. That ball has a tendency to show lines of multiple balls. Normal people won't notice…but Eiji's ability to distinguish moving objects is uncommonly high. Which mean that he will subconsciously chase after all the balls." Hikari stared at the three balls and shook her head, Ryoma rubbed his eyes,

"My eyes hurt, it's getting tired." Hikari nodded in agreement.

"No doubt,"

"Really? You see 5 or 6 balls? I only see one." Hikari shook her head and leaned on Fuji,

"I see three balls only, but it still stings my eyes…" Fuji looked down at Hikari,

"Hikari-chan, are you okay?" Hikari nodded,

"I'll be fine, just need to rest my eyes."

"Net! 40-0."

"Getting attacked in a disadvantageous manner in this hot weather, and that blurring ball. His uncanny ability to distinguish moving objects is robbing him of his concentration and stamina."

"That means that Kikumaru-senpai has been playing by seeing tons of blurry balls. Handicapped for having a good eye are just bad luck."

"This is why they made Akazawa play doubles and face Kikumaru." Hikari rubbed her eyes and got off of Fuji, she looked up and her vision blurred a bit. Hikari stumbled to her right and hit Ryoma. Ryoma caught her and grunted,

"Hn," Kikumaru began to flip his racket with his wrist,

"Kikumaru's will hasn't died out yet."

"You remember what they call the two?"

**- & -**

"_We're doing doubles training today." Inui looked around the court,_

"_Momoshiro, Echizen, Oishi and Kikumaru, get on the court. " Ryoma looked up,_

"_I'm playing doubles?" Momoshiro grinned and ruffled Ryoma' hair,_

"_Stop whining," Ryoma ducked his head,  
"With Momo-senpai?" Inui looked around and spotted Hikari,_

"_Well, I haven't seen Hikari-san play doubles yet. Fine, Echizen and Hikari." Hikari looked up in surprise,_

_  
"Eh?! I don't even know the rule-" Inui grabbed her and pushed her towards the court.  
_

"_So what, just get on the court." _

_________

_Hikari stood tied to Ryoma and Eiji tied to Oishi, the pairs stood in front of each other on the court._

"_Eh?" Ryoma picked up the rope,_

"_What's with the rope?" _

"_Play a mock match with that rope attached to you." Ryoma tugged on the rope,_

"_Strange," Hikari blinked, feeling the tug._

"_Oi, quit tugging it." Ryoma turned to her with a smirk,_

"_Why should I?" Hikari scowled,_

"_Because I said so," Ryoma turned his head to the side,_

"_Yada." Hikari bent down and picked up the rope, giving it a hard pull. Ryoma widened his eyes and stumbled, he turned to her and tugged hard on his rope._

"_Stop it!"She tugged,_

"_You stop it!"He tugged,_

"_Oi, cut it out!" The two turned to Inui,_

"_Let's start the match, " Inui threw the ball at Oishi, _

"_I got it!" Hikari ran towards the ball and returned it,_

"_Ah!" Hikari fell on the ground, Ryoma let out a small yelp as he was pulled towards her._

"_Ugh!" Hikari let out a grunt as Ryoma fell on top of her,_

"_Don't pull!" Ryoma looked down at her and she looked up at him,_

"_I didn't pull!" Eiji jumped up and returned the ball,_

"_Kikumaru beam!"_

"_That's just like the golden pair, their rope isn't even tangled." Hikari grunted and lightly pushed Ryoma off, he fell backwards and she fell forwards,_

"_Gah!" She looked down at him with a tinge of pink on her face, she looked at the ropes._

"_It's tangled," Hikari tried to move but got even more stuck,_

"_Don't just lay there Echizen, help!" Ryoma looked down, his face hot._

'_She smells like watermelons…' Hikari looked at him and continued to move around, _

"_Why aren't you moving," Ryoma looked up with a bright red face,_

"_My hands…they're tied." Hikari raised an eyebrow,_

"_Where?" Ryoma looked over her body. Hikari turned her neck and stretched to get a view, she blushed as she felt a twitch on her butt,_

"_Oi! What kind of training is this?" She struggled even harder, Ryoma let out a small grunt. She stopped struggled and looked at him, with an equally red face. Fuji walked up to the trio,_

"_That's Oishi's style of tennis. He scouts the court and the opponent, slowly controlling the match and creating his chance. Then breaks the game open,"  
_

"_He will never tangle up the rope."  
_

"_That's why Kikumaru-senpai can play so acrobaticall-" Hikari let out a yell of frustration,_

"_Get us out of here!" Ryoma looked down, wishing that his cap wasn't a feet away from his head.  
_

**- & -**

Hikari blushed at the memory and leaned off of Ryoma as he tipped his hat to hide his face,

"Go golden pair!" Eiji and Akazawa rallied, until Eiji stumbled backwards,

"Crumble, Kikumaru Eiji!" Eiji smirked and let the ball pass him,

"Heh no Kappa." Oishi came up behind him,

"Too bad this is doubles!" Oishi drag his racket back, and swung it up,

"Oishi's best move is coming on. He'll drop the ball with pin point precision, to the open area. A center lob topspin volley."

"That's moon volley. He aimed it inside the line," Eiji wiped the sweat off his face,

"Nope, Oishi wasn't aiming for just inside the line.

"Nani?"

"He aimed for right on the line." Eiji wagged his finger as Oishi smiled.

"Oishi is the only able to do that," Ryoma smirked,

"The best has yet to come."

"30-all"

"Eiji moves better when playing against a stronger player."

"30-40" Oishi moon volleyed,

"Game won by Seigaku, 2 games – all"

"We aren't called the golden pair for no reason."

"Seigaku's Oishi to serve." The crowd began to cheer,

"Kaneda, we'll aim for Oishi's backhand. Kaneda?" Kaneda pointed to the golden pair,

"Buchou, that it,"

"What is that formation?" Everyone stared intently at the new formation,

"The front guard is waiting on the center line."

"What's that?" Eiji smirked as Oishi threw up the ball and served, Akazawa returned the ball, Eiji moved from the opposite direction as Oishi came towards it and moon volleyed it.

"15-love"

"That formation, it's the Australian formation?" Mizuki stared surprised,

"What is that?"

"The transforming formation with a high degree of difficulty, unlike the normal style. They line up in the center, they move left and right after the ball is served, it's not given which way they'll move so the receiver loses concentration. The opponent cannot predict the movies, but if the partners aren't in sync, they'll leave a hole in the court."

**- & -**

"_No no Kikumaru, that's not how you do it."_

"_That toast something is really hard Inui."  
_

"_Australian formation,"  
_

"_That transforming formation doesn't work if you two aren't in sync. Not only Oishi, but you should also be able to read your partner's move. If you can master this, it can _

_make the opponents panic," Kikumaru looked up at the sky,_

"_Don't worry. It'll fine somehow." Eiji smiled and winked,_

**- & -**

Inui scoffed with a smile,

"They're strong when playing a real match…" Oishi served the ball, and creating a small rally. The ball headed over as Eiji stayed still,

"Net! 30-0" Akazawa let out a long scream, Hikari jumped with her eyes wide and hit Ryoma in the face,

"**Oh damn! Sorry!" **Ryoma grunted and rubbed his face,

"**Whatever.**" Fuji raised in eye,

"Why does your accent seem different from Echizen-"

"Shut up and go do you thing!" Hikari stared as Akazawa pushed Kaneda back,

"But this is really for the team's sake, Akazawa. You bastard, they're attacking us as a pair. It's not singles but doubles, you got that!? You bastard!" Everyone gaped at the two,

"What did you say Kaneda!? Do you know who you're talking to!?" Akazawa advanced on Kaneda, who stepped back in fear.

Oishi served the ball,

"Are they going left or right?"

"We can't predict it now, but from what I observed. Kikumaru move left or right and Oishi has to move left or right at a diagonal angle." Kaneda moved back ,

"Over there!" Oishi and Eiji gasped,

"Out! 40-love"

"Oishi-kun, just like your team has a natural doubles player like you, so does ours. " Mizuki smirked.

Sakuno gasped and turned as Ryoma tipped his hat and walked away,

"Ryoma-kun…" Hikari shifted her eyes to him and stayed in her place. Sakuno looked at Hikari,

"Aren't you going to go with him?" Hikari sweat dropped,

"Why do you ask?" Sakuno blushed.

"N-no reason! It's just t-that you guys are always t-together." Hikari chuckled,

"Right now isn't the time Echizen wants to be visited," Sakuno blinked,

"How do you know?" Hikari shrugged her shoulders,

"It's just a feeling I guess? It's complicated…Meh, I'll go when it's the right time." Sakuno nodded,

Akazawa walked up to his partner,

"Kaneda?"

"Hai?"

"I'm going to make a lob, will you support me?"

"Ah, hai!"

"This is the critical point, Oishi."

"You're right," Oishi rallied with them

"Game won by St. Rudolph, 3 – 2. St. Rudolph is leading."

"Change court." Hikari watched as Eiji heavily breathed as he sat on the bench,

"Eiji, you should have some fluids too. Eiji?" Eiji didn't respond. Oishi got out a drink and passed it to him, worriedly.

"Members on court," Oishi walked up,

"Seigaku on the court please." Oishi turned around and saw Eiji still on the bench. Eiji slowly got up and walked onto the courts.

Horio turned around,

"Ne, Ryoma-kun. Where's Ryoma?" Sakuno turned to ask Hikari,

"Hikari-chan, Do you kno- eh? Hikari-chan?" Sakuno turned her head,

"Where'd she go?"

**- & -**

_Hikari shrugged her shoulders,_

"_-Meh, I'll go when it's the right time." _

**- & -**

Sakuno felt her eyes widened,

"Right time…"

Ryoma's hand twitched as he heard light footsteps come towards him, he moved his hat and looked up and saw no one. He then felt a presence on his right, he turned and saw Hikari next to him with her eyes closed. He stared at her then leaned back into the tree and put his cap over his face.

"Ahh, it's so **hot**." Hikari nodded,

"**Honestly, Britain is much cooler.**"

"Hey, hey. Are you two sure it's alright to waste time here?" Hikari opened her eyes and saw Tachibana and Shinji, Ryoma sat up.

"Betsuni." Shinji looked at the two,

"You're always doing whatever you want, that's not cute. However Hikari-chan is always with you too, so it balances it out."

"Did the game end?"

"Not yet."

"Doubles are still playing-"

"Tachibana-san!" Kamio ran up to them,

"I can't believe it but Seigaku's first doubles…is losing 6-4, and doesn't seem to be able to come back."

"That annoying golden pair is-"

**- & -**

The crowd cheered as the game rallied on,

"Se-i-gaku!" Kaneda returned the ball to Kikumaru, who was just standing there, lifelessly with his head down. Oishi grunted and dived to return the ball,

"Oishi-senpai is awesome, taking both of them like that…"

"Demo, Kikumaru-senpai's legs have stopped moving,"

"40-love"

"One more point!" The crowd chanted as the Seigaku regulars stared intently at the game, watching Oishi take all the hits. Kaneda hit a drop volley, Oishi returned it.

"It's a trap, too deep!" Akazawa jumped up,

"This is the end!" He smashed the ball down, Oishi ran towards the ball,

"Shit!" Eiji ran above Oishi and returned the ball, everyone gasped as Eiji hit the ground and laid there.

"40-15." Eiji jumped back up from his hand stand and smiled, everyone the Seigaku team, minus Tezuka, smiled in approval.

"Oishi, sorry for the wait. I finished recharging," Oishi smiled and high fived each other,

"Kikumaru-senpai!" The crowd cheered as he waved to them.

"I thought you couldn't make it, okay this is where we counter attack!" Eiji sheepishly grinned. The two got into their formations.

"40-30."

"Kikumaru-senpai is awesome!" Oishi and Kikumaru high fived as Mizuki sat there, dumbfounded. Kaneda served,

"Double fault, deuce." Kaneda served again, causing a rally, Eiji bent down and return it with a diving volley.

"Advantage, receiver!"

The doubles pairs rallied, until Akazawa hit the ball hoping to make the blur ball effect, Kikumaru stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes as Oishi drop volleyed instead of moon volleyed.

"Game, 6-6." Kikumaru and Oishi give each other the thumbs up. Kikumaru sighed and looked down.

"12 point, tie break. Oishi to serve!" Oishi served, the two rallied.

"1-0 Seigaku. St. Rudolph's Akazawa to serve." He served, the two rallied until he accidently hit a lob. Eiji jumped up,

"Kiku-maru-beam!"

"2-0 Seigaku." Eiji gave a peace sign. Akazawa served again as the doubles rallied,

"3-0 Seigaku."

"Go Seigaku's golden pair!" They continued to rally, a lob was hit,

"Our chance, Eiji!" Eiji nodded and ran towards the ball,

"Uh!" Eiji fell forward with a shock face. His racket flew out of his hand,

"3-1, St. Rudolph's point." They turned and stared at each other,

"Eiji, are you okay?" Eiji got up,

"Yeah." The doubles rallied,

"There's more a little hope in the St. Rudolph's returns now." Everyone waited, tired at how long a rally took.

"Game and match for St. Rudolph." Everyone cheered, Eiji and Oishi walked over,

"Sumimasen, Sensei." Ryuzaki waved her hand,

"Don't worry about it. You guys did great."

Eiji smiled as he reached the team,

"My battery ran out."

"Good work." Oishi stared at them,

"We'll leave it up to you."

"We understand."

**- & -**

Hikari leaned against the fence, watching Ryoma furiously hit the ball against the ball.

"The golden pair lost!" Hikari blinked as she heard people talk.

**- & -**

Fuji smiled as his brother walked by,

"Syusuke Fuji," The guy behind Yuuta pointed out,

"Hey little bro, your big brother is here." Yuuta scowled and turned to the guy, he ran away.

"You look great, Yuuta. Are you used to dorm living yet? I was sure that you'd be in singles one or two. And I was looking forward for a match. " Fuji paused between each sentence, but got no response and continued.

"Don't lie to me! I don't mind if you think so!" Fuji dropped his smile,

"The freshman who beat Inui-san for the regular spot…he's a good opponent for me!" Fuji said nothing,

"I'll use everything to crush that freshman! You can get beaten by Mizuki, St. Rudolph can ensure that."

"Putting me aside, our rookie won't be that easy to beat, Yuuta." He stopped walking and turned around,

"I won't know until I try." He walked off.

**- & -**

Sakuno walked into the tennis court,

'Hikari-chan's with Ryoma.'

"Ryoma-kun, Hikari-chan." Ryoma and Hikari looked up,

"First doubles…we lost…" Hikari blinked, the gossipers were telling the truth.

Ryoma began hitting the ball against the wall, running back and forth. Sakuno fidgeted with her fingers,

"Ano, Ryoma-kun." Hikari looked up at Sakuno and she put a finger to her mouth, signaling for her to stay silent. Sakuno widened her eyes, and mouthed,

' But it's important. ' Hikari blinked and nodded,

"T-there are many good players in this tournament, Seigaku has to play very well. " Ryoma imagined the scenenary as he hit the ball,

**- & -**

_Ryoma returned the ball to Tezuka,_

"_There are tons of good players in the national tournament, "_

"_Better than you?"_

"_Why don't you find out yourself?"_

**- & -**

Ryoma widened his eye and hit the ball harder into the wall, he looked down and slammed his racket down, hitting the ball to stop. Hikari looked up at him worried at his dark expression,

"Echizen…"

"_If that's the case Echizen, then you should become Seigaku's pillar of support." _

Ryoma caught the ball and tightened his grip on it, he looked up at the sky and back down at Hikari. He threw the ball at her and she caught it surprise,

"All of you, bring it on!"

**- & -**

"We will now start the third singles match between Seigaku and St. Rudolph," Hikari stood by Fuji as she watched Ryoma stand in front of Yuuta on the court. The two shook hands and Yuuta turned around,

"Ne, you're Fuji-senpai's little brother right?" Hikari looked up at Fuji, he's smile wasn't there on his face,

"I wonder who's stronger, this will be fun." Ryoma walked backed to the base line as Horio widened his eyes,

"Echizen's provoking him!" Momoshiro laughed,

"That's just like him!" Tomoko raised an eyebrow,

"Fuji-senpai's little brother…?" Oishi crossed his arms,

"Echizen and the little brother,"

"Fuji Yuuta crushed Saikiwa from the Chiba prefecture in a practice game. He won all 16 of his match against the lefty."

"Eh! All sixteen?" Inui nodded,

"He's played a lot of games against lefties, most people are right handed so they aren't used to it. They don't play lefties that often…so the different spins make playing them much tougher."

"That's right, targeting changes and so does the spin."

"During a game, players rotate serving left to right, right handers serve from the right. Left handers serve from the left, Which allows them to get the best angles and send the opponents outside of the court. For some reason, match point usually ends up being served from the left. "

"Eh? Isn't that an advantage for left handers?"

"I see! That's how it is." Tomoko scratched her head,

"One more time please!" Hikari slightly frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose,

"Why not just call him Yuuta…he just isn't Fuji's little brother…" Fuji looked down at Hikari's mumbling.

"One set match, St. Rudolph's Fuji to serve." Yuuta served and the two began to rally.

"15-love." Everyone stared as the two left handers rallied, Ryoma widened his eyes as the ball went passed him. Inui stood next to Hikari and Fuji,

"Your little brother is very good."

"Yuuta's specialty, the rising shot has improved." Fuji smiled.

"What's the rising shot?"

"It's a shot that returns the ball as soon as it bounces." Inui smirked,

"That means hitting the ball before it starts to curve down after the bounce. It causes the ball to be returned faster than normal. Since it adds speeds to the balls that the opponent hits, it doesn't give them much time to react." Hikari stared at Ryoma, as he missed another ball.

"Game, St. Rudolph's Fuji Yuuta. 1 – 0 " Tezuka stepped up,

"This is a complicated situation for you Fuji." Fuji blinked in surprise and smiled,

"Why's that?" Hikari stared as Ryoma bounced the ball, he threw up the ball and hit it over.

"There it comes, twist serve." Yuuta ran to the ball as it spin, he returned it. Ryoma ran up towards the net and missed. Hikari widened her eyes,

"Love-15." Fuji opened his eyes wide, Hikari stared at him.

"Are you okay Fuji-senpai?" Fuji shook his head,

"Hai."

"He was at Seigaku for six months…" The freshmen stared at Inui,

"Eh?" Oishi turned around,

"He didn't want to be compared to his brother, the tensai." Ryoma twist served again, he ran towards the net and slammed down the ball.

"15-all." Everyone gaped at Ryoma,

"F-fast!" Ryoma looked up and smirked,

"Huh? Mada mada dane, I've faced more much stronger than you." Ryoma threw up the ball and served. The two rallied, Ryoma smirked.

"Game Seigaku's Echizen 1 – 1." Momoshiro furrowed his eyes,

"He's less hesitant now…" Yuuta kept his scowl on his face,

"This is Yuuta's turned to shine, even as a kid he hated to lose." Hikari looked up at Fuji, as he looked down with his eyes sullen.

**- & -**

_A child Fuji walked up to his crying little brother, he reached out his hand as Yuuta ran away. _

_________

_An eye closed Fuji reached the park and smiled, he went up the slides and checked. He blinked in surprise as Yuuta came up beside him, with a bright smile._

**- & -**

Hikari looked at Fuji's face, a genuine smile broke out on his face. Yuuta scowled,

'Because of my brother, I didn't join the tennis club at Seigaku, instead I went to a tennis school much farther away…' Yuuta got into a stance, Fuji let out a small gasp. Ryoma widened his eyes as the ball spun into the fence.

"What's that?"

"Twist spins shot…" Ryoma looked back at Yuuta and smirked.

"30-love." The two rallied after the serve, Yuuta got into stance and made a twist spin shot. Ryoma ran towards the ball, He returned the ball and stared as it hit out.

"Out! 40 – love." Ryoma frowned and practiced his swinging. Yuuta threw up the ball and served again, Ryoma returned. The two rallied, Yuuta go into stance again.

"Twist spin shot!" Ryoma ran towards the net, he returned the ball.

"Out, game for St. Rudolph. 4 – 1" Ryoma turned around with a smirk,

"It's pretty hard. If I don't hold it face down, it'll continue to get out."

"Hey you shouldn't use that twist-something that much." Ryoma bounced the ball and threw it up, Yuuta scowled deeper. Yuuta returned it, causing a small rally. Ryoma returned it and ran towards the net, Yuuta stepped back into his stance.

"I can't believe you ignored my warning," Ryoma ran at the ball,

"It's impossible to hit the ball before the bounce!"

"It's suicide, it'll be out!" Hikari stepped forward and griped the fence,

"Mada mada dane." Hikari watched as Ryoma slide under the ball, and got up.

"It's too high!" The ball made a b shape.

"15-love" Hikari looked at Ryoma,

"What was that shot?" Ryoma smirked,

"Drive B."

"Was that Drive volley?"

"No, it was a combination of sliding and jumping…" Momoshiro grinned,

"Just like Echizen to make an awesome shot like that." Ryoma pointed his racket to Yuuta,

"I just sealed your lefty killer, the twist spin shot. What'll you do now?" Hikari let go to the fence,

"Your big brother isn't the only strong one out there. Your goal might be to beat your brother, but I'm aiming up higher." Yuuta scowled,

"You have to beat me first if you want to go higher." Ryoma turned to him.

"Of course." Ryoma threw up the ball, causing a rally.

"Game for Seigaku, 4 – 2." Fuji stared intently,

**- & -**

"_Are you going already?"  
"Yeah." Fuji watched as Yuuta walked out the door._

**- & -**

Ryoma slid under the ball, hitting a drive b.

"Game for Seigaku 5 – 4, change court." The freshmen cheered as Yuuta wiped his forehead with a smirk. Mizuki smirked,

"In the district tournament, he injured his left eye. Even if he healed psychologically, his body will still react."

Ryoma sipped his drink,

"Aim for his left eye," Yuuta gasped surprise.

"I, I will…" The two got back into the court. Ryoma kept his smirk on his face, the two rallied.

"This is a good match," Momoshiro cupped his hand over his mouth.

"Echizen, I won't forgive you if you lose!" Fuji smiled. The two continued to rally, until Yuuta hit it with a Twist spin shot, and Ryoma returned it with a drive B.

"40 – 15." Ryoma looked up and smirked, Yuuta smirked in return. Ryoma served the ball, the two rallied as Ryoma finished it with a drive b.

"Game set and match, for Seigaku's Echizen. 6 – 4." Everyone cheered,

"Nice going Seigaku." Ryoma smirked and picked up his hat, he turned to Hikari and walked back to Yuuta.

"I lost. You're very strong." Ryoma and Yuuta shook hands,

"Maybe you're just weak." Yuuta scowled,

"Why you-" Ryoma waved his hand a smirked,

"Just kidding, just kidding." He walked away and towards the team.

"Good game!" Hikari nudged Ryoma by the shoulders,

"Mada mada dane, Ryoma." Ryuzaki turned to Mizuki,

"You have to stop Yuuta from that twist spin shot, he'll break his shoulders." Mizuki got up,

"It's not my concern." He walked off.

**- & -**

Hikari stared at the score board.

Doubles two – St. Rudolph defaults.

Doubles one 7 – 6.

Singles three 4 – 6.

"We'll now start the second singles between, Seigaku's Fuji and St. Rudolph's Mizuki." Fuji and Mizuki stared at each other while they stood on the court. Mizuki smirked while Fuji kept a straight face on. The two went to shake hands, until Fuji put his hand down. He stared at Mizuki with his eyes open, the wind blowing in his face. Hikari sat by Ryoma, as they drank ponta.

"Let's play a good game,"

"One set match, Seigaku's Fuji to serve." Fuji served the ball, Mizuki returned it.

"0-15." Fuji widened his eyes in surprise. Fuji served again, Mizuki smirked and returned it. Fuji ran towards the ball. He gaped in surprise as it missed again.

"This is bad, he seems to have done a lot of research." Fuji missed the ball and stared at Mizuki. The two rallied again, Mizuki smirked. Fuji narrowed his eyes as Mizuki chuckled.

"Game, 1- 0." Hikari leaned her head back into the tree's bark and frowned,

"Fuji-senpai…" Ryoma turned to her and took a sip out of his ponta,

"Mada mada dane."

"Game! 5 - 0, St. Rudolph's lead. Change court!" Yuuta stared intently at his brother,

**- & -**

_Little Yuuta looked up at the older people scared, they began to smile and push him around. Yuuta grunted as they punched and kicked him. Yuuta fell to the ground, The people loomed over him, a figure ran up and spread his arms out. Yuuta stared in surprise at Fuji._

**- & -**

Yuuta grunted and walked after his brother, until he remembered what Mizuki said, he stopped and closed his eyes. Fuji and Mizuki walked by each other,

"Mizuki," Mizuki and Fuji stopped,

"I'm going to ask this just in case, did you teach Yuuta the Twist Spin shot even though you knew the damage it'd do to his shoulder?" Yuuta widened his eyes in surprise,

"Winning is most important."

"Oi, Echizen. Did you make that drive B shot on the spot?" Ryoma smirked and twirled his cap with his finger.

"Why, jealous?" Hikari scowled,

"I could never be jealous of _yo-_" the wind blew strongly, making some leaves fly into Hikari's face. Ryoma chuckled at her facial expression.

Fuji narrowed his eyes as they walked off, Fuji changed rackets. Mizuki served the ball,

"Did you really get the correct data?" Inui pushed his glasses up,

"The only person whom I can't get data correctly on is Fuji." Everyone gaped, Yuuta stared at his brother.

**- & -**

_Little Yuuta and little Fuji walked home together, with bruises and dirt marks. Fuji turned around and smiled, Yuuta stared at him surprise. Fuji kneeled down and reached into his pocket, he grabbed a napkin and cleaned Yuuta's face. Yuuta widened his eyes as he felt his eyes burn, Fuji opened his eyes in surprise as tears rolled down on Yuuta's face. Fuji smiled and continued to clean his little brother's face._

**- & -**

Fuji ran towards the ball, Mizuki widened his eyes in surprise as the ball passed him.

"The shot just now was aimed at my stronger side." Yuuta and Mizuki stared at him, wide eyed. Kikumaru flailed his arms around,

"There you go! You're on!" Momoshiro grinned,

"Okay, this is our chance to counter." Kaidoh hissed,

"Kick his ass." Momoshiro turned to him,

"We're in a rare agreement." Kaidoh looked down with a scowl.

"Shut up."

**- & -**

Hikari laid on the grass, her head turned to the courts as Ryoma leaned on the tree behind her. The two watched Fuji and Mizuki rallied.

"Weak side? They were all to my forte." Fuji served, as Mizuki continuously missed the ball Inui tapped his notebook,

"Fuji isn't the kind that allows others to know his weaknesses. He only thought that he knew out of arrogance." The two continued to rally,

"Game and match for Seigaku's Fuji 7 – 5." Mizuki dropped his racket.

Ryoma looked in surprise of hearing footsteps he looked at the tennis team as they walked by,

"Hyotei." Hikari stared up in surprise, to see the team. Atobe smirked,

"It's just like Syusuke Fuji, no weaknesses whatsoever. Remember him, Kabaji."

Mizuki screamed and fell to his near in frustrations. Fuji walked up towards the net as Mizuki looked up,

"You bitch! You lost 0 – 5 at the start on purpose! Playing me like that…" Fuji looked at him with his eyes opened,

"Thank you, for taking care of my little brother." Mizuki grunted and looked down. Yuuta widened his eyes,

"Aniki…" Ryoma walked by with Hikari,

"With this and that…it turned out to be a good match." Yuuta closed his eyes and smiled,

"Yeah."

**- & -**

Mizuki gripped his hands on the fence,

"St. Rudolph, we lost so embarrassedly, " Fudomine walked by them,

"Tachibana, look they're being sore losers." Mizuki scowled,

"How can you understand my feelings?" Tachibana stopped by him

"You can just start over from scratch, a new style that only St. Rudolph can play." Mizuki stared at him.

"Easy for you to say."

"That's the way we did it." The group walked off.

**- & -**

Hikari stood by the team on the opposite side of St. Rudolph,

"Seigaku vs. St. Rudolph. Seigaku wins, 3 – 1." Hikari bowed, along with everyone else.

"Thank you very much."

**- & -**

Ryuzaki walked up to Yuuta,

"How's your arm?" Yuuta looked at his arm,

"It's good. "

"I see."

"What do you want from me?"

"Do you enjoy playing tennis?" Yuuta looked down,

"I guess." Ryuzaki smiled,

"That's the most important thing, if you want to pursue tennis. " Yuuta nodded,

"Qualify for the Kantou regional. Our team will be looking forward to a rematch." Yuuta stood up and smiled,

"Hai!"

**- & -**

Hikari yawned and stood with her team, along with the other three teams that won.

"Fudomine, Yamabuki, Ginka, and Seigaku will advance as the four best. The four have been granted to participate in the Kantou regional." The crowd cheered,

"In one week, we'll play for the winner, runner ups, and consolation. That's all, please disperse."

**- & -**

Fuji stood behind Yuuta,

"Yuuta." Yuuta turned around to face a smiling Fuji,

"Do your best in the consolation match." Fuji game a thumb up as Yuuta turned around to walk off,

"Shut...shut up." Fuji smiled and walked after him.

"If St. Rudolph can rise up to the regional, I'd like to play you." Yuuta scoffed,

"Heh, I don't want to. If I have to, I'd rather face Tezuka-san."

"Anyway, Yuuta. You're coming home tonight right?" The two walked passed Ryoma and Hikari, who was leaning on the fence.

"No thanks."

"Mom made your favorite pumpkin curry. Even Onee-chan was baking raspberry pies for you."

**- & -**

Hikari looked at Ryoma while he smirked, she sighed and looked down.

"Minna, let's go!" Hikari walked off to the bus stop; with everyone else.

**- & -**

"Where's Kikumaru and Oishi?" Takashi turned to Tezuka,

"Don't worry about it. Those two like to take the scenic route." Hikari drooped her head on Fuji's shoulder; obviously sleeping, as he smiled out towards the window. Kaidoh closed his eyes as he sat by Momoshiro and Ryoma, who leaned on each other as they snored. Horio and Kachiro turned around,

"Momochan-senpai's drooling."

"Kaidoh-senpai the same!" Katsuo turned around,

"Forget Momochan-senpai, It's bad to wake up Kaidoh-senpai." Kaidoh opened one eye and closed both. They sighed in relief, Tomoko turned around.

"Ryoma-sama's sleeping face is so cute." Sakuno turned around

"Tomo-chan, be quiet or they'll wake up."

"But Ryoma's face is so cute!" Sakuno stared at Ryoma and started to blush,

"Next stop's Seishuundai." Tezuka looked at Fuji, then turned to Takashi.

"Taka-san, pull it for them." The bus stopped,

"Momo, Kaidoh, Echizen, you guys have to get off." Momoshiro perked up from his sleep, hitting Kaidoh and Ryoma. The two turned to him, slightly annoyed.

"Ryoma-sama, you have to get off or you'll miss your stop!" Ryoma got up and walked by Fuji and Hikari, he scowled and nudged her shoulder as he passed by. Hikari fell forward on Fuji's lap, Fuji blinked in surprise as Hikari stayed sleeping. Fuji then turned back to the window and smiled,

'She must've of been really tired.' Ryoma gripped his bag tighter and walked off the bus.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing.

* stars are used to show that I don't own it, nor did I make it up. (:

**A/N: December Stats: For the month of 2009-12, there have been a total of 3,210 Hits and 880 Visitors to story: Can't Stop Thinking Of You. **

**Oh whoa, I think this means alot of people are reading it? Lmao, Thanks alot for the **_**14 **_**people that ****reviewed**** and those who **_**actually took the**__**time to read my story**_**! && Thank you for the **_**18**_** people that ****favorited**** my story, the **_**10 **_**people that ****alerted**** my story, the **_**4 **_**people that put me as a ****favorite author****, and that **_**one **_** person that put me on a ****author alert****. So, as you can see I'm currently trying to fix my chapters; so SOME things **_**MIGHT**_** be different. So I hope you can, if you want to, re-read it so you can understand my story better. I'm so happy for my hits and visitors! I'm so sorry, but I can't think of ANYTHING for Ryoma's birthday or Newyears or freaking Christmas! But it'll come up sometime right? Please excuse me till that time then :D Some things you that you can see the difference of is my little line, title, chapter, line thingy. That usually shows that I've revised it completely, like it's suppose to be like that. Also, my new updates on new ****chapters**** might take a while, since I need to fix my other chapters; which is alot. Seeing that I have twenty chapters, so there is a quite delay. Enjoy reading (: DOES ANYONE ELSE UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN ABOUT KANATA HONGO 3 (: GOOGLE SEARCH HIM AND YOU'LL SEE HOW IT RELATES.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Seventeen : Date

* * *

"Hikari-chan! Phone call." Hikari groaned and sat up, her curly blond hair in tangles as a maid walked up to her with a wireless phone. Yawning; she placed the phone to her ear,

"Moshi Moshi,"

"Hikari-hime! Isn't it a wonderful morning? I can't wait for our date!" Silence filled room, except for the drop of the phone as Hikari widened her eyes in surprise. A muffled voice was heard from the cellular device,

"Hikari-hime! Are you okay!? Hikari-hime!" Hikari quickly grabbed the phone,

"Hai, Nashi-san. It isn't a date though, it's a hang out." Nashi laughed, completely disregarding what she said.

"I'll be over around twelve o'clock! Bye Hikari-hime!" A click was heard, defining that Nashi had hung up, Hikari sighed and put down the house phone and looked around for her clock.

"Eh?! 11:23?!"

- **& - **

Nanjiroh rubbed his face as he drove the grey car, Ryoma yawned and looked out the window.

"Where are we going?"

"A friend of mine has a granddaughter that recently started tennis, and she asked me to coach her for a while." Nanjiroh passed a box of buns,

"Here, have one." Ryoma took the bun and took a bite out of it, noting it was a bean paste bun.

"Something came up, so you're going to coach her." Ryoma chewed and continued to stare out the window,

"No, why do I have to-" Suddenly the car stopped, Ryoma grabbed his head in pain as he tried to ignore the pain of hitting his head on the window.

"Here we are, now get out." Ryoma got up, still holding his head,

"Why-" His tennis bag and cap was thrown at him,

"Oh, and Ryoma." Ryoma glared up at Nanjiroh; who in returned grinned.

"You can't say no, the bean paste bun you just ate was a gift from my friend, and you ate it too." Ryoma widened his eyes in surprise as his father backed the car out,

"Wait, Dad!" The car sped off, but not without an accomplished shout of,

"Nan-chan escapes!" Ryoma stared at the leaving car with an annoyed glare.

- **& - **

"First we can go to a movie, have some lunch, and you can decide what the last thing we can do!" Hikari sighed as she walked around with Nashi, the wind ruffled her maroon skirt. Her shirt was pink, somewhat covered by a pink and white striped scarf, and her white tennis bag was hung on her shoulders.

"Nashi-san, I thought I was going to help you with tennis?" Nashi grinned and turned around,

"We can do that before the movie! When we go inside the theathers, it'll have air conditioning and we can cool off." Hikari sighed and continued to walk,

"Lets go my uncle's batting cage." Nashi looked at her with stars in his eyes.

"I'm meeting your uncle!?"

- **& **-

"Next, bend your knees more." Ryoma sat down watching the two girls hit against a wall, he yawned as they yelled out in response,

"Hai!" Sakuno bounce the ball and went to hit it, she blinked in surprise as she missed.

"Please hit the ball." Sakuno blushed and stared at her tennis ball; which had a picture of Ryoma's face.

"10!" Tomoko smiled as she continously hit the ball. Sakuno clapped,

"Good job, Tomo-chan!" Tomoko missed and turned around smile.

"Opps," Ryoma pointed to her racket,

"Switch your grip." Sakuno stared as Tomoko hit the ball, sighing she stared down at her ball.

'It's only her second try at tennis, and she's doing so well. I have to try harder!' Sakuno tighten her grip on the ball and bounced it, hitting it. Silence was heard as the other two stared at her surprise. The ball had flown across the wall and off into the woods. She turned around, cherry faced and nervously smiled.

"I'll go get that!"

- **& **-

Hikari stared as Nashi nervously smiled and scratched his head,

"Please have a tigther grip on your racket," Nashi nodded and ran to grab his fallen racket. He sighed and looked down at the floor,

"I'm never going to get this right, am I Hikari-hime?" Hikari looked at him in surprise at his sad voice.

"Nashi-san...You're doing so well for a beginner. You already got most of the basics down, you just need to tighten your grip on racket and you'll do just fine. How about we go to that movie you wanted?" Hikari gave a smile as she patted his back. He looked up at her with a big grin, he grabbed her hands.

"Thank you so much for encouraging me, Hikari-hime! You're the best!" Hikari gave out a nervous laugh as he hugged her tightly.

- **& **-

Ryoma walked through the woods with Tomoko as she looked around for Sakuno,

"Sakuno?" The two stopped to she her picking up balls,

"You're interferring with our practice! I'm telling you to leave!" The boy in a green uniform grunted in surprise as a tennis ball hit his face, he turned to stare at Ryoma and the whole in the fence.

"My ball went in, can I search for it too?" Ryoma walked in as the Ginka tennis stuudents looked at him,

"You better apologize!" Ryoma looked up at him,

"Did it hurt? Oh...can you help me look for it too?" The Ginka students scowled,

"No way! There's at least three hundred balls here. Go ahead, look for it. That girl knocked over the basket anyways." Tomoko suddenly ran up,

"They have our balls, Ryoma-sama! That guy, it's behind his back!" They turned to her,

"Shut up, how would you know? You're just a bystander!" Ryoma smirked,

"10 balls per person, I'll quit the search if I lose. Let's have a tennis game." They laughed,

"You're going to play against 30 people? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Alright everyone, gather up!" Ryoma looked up with a cocky smirk,

"So, who's first?"

- **& **-

"What movie is this again?" Hikari sat all the way in the back, perfectly in the middle; giving her the best seat out of the rest. Nashi sat next to her, popcorn in hand; as their drinks sat in the arm rest.

"Nana 2* It was released just today! I got tickets beforehand though!" Nashi grinned as he took another popcorn, Hikari face palmed.

"It's a sequel? How would I know the story plot if it's a continuition?" A person behind them made a noise.

"Shhs! The movies about the start!" Hikari looked at the huge screen as it showed a city during the night time.

_"Miss, we'll be stuck here for a while." The taxi driver looked back to see the girl walk out, she smiled and walked around. Her brown hair was medium length, her grey skirt and shirt matched it greatly. She stopped up at stage, and looked up with a smile. As the group members of the band got ready, a girl with black hair and rosy red lips stood in the middle with the mic. As a bald hair guy in a suit sat in the back with the drums as a very attractive man with grey-blue spikey hair; lip chain ring, with a bass guitar played. _

_"I didn't even notice when you were in pain!" The girl smiled as the girl sang, she slowly raised her hand and layed it on her stomach. _

Hikari poked Nashi and whispered,

"Who's the guy playing the bass guitar?" Nashi continued to stare at the screen; slowly eating the popcorn.

"That's Shin, in the movie. But the actor is Kanata Hongo*, why do you ask?" Nashi stared as Hikari changed her gaze to Kanata, a dreamy gaze in her eyes. He widened his eyes and pointed at her,

"DON'T TELL ME YOU FIND HIM ATTRACTIVE?!" Popcorn was thrown at Nashi; along with lots of profanity.

- **& **-

"Was that a warm up?" Ryoma smirked as he returned the last ball.

"Next." Everyone stared at him in surprise,

"I've got 22 more opponents to go through, can you hurry it up?" Ryoma pointed his racket to the group.

- **& **-

Hikari felt her eyes tear up as she continued to watch, Nashi stared at Hikari; who in return, didn't notice due to how intense the movie was.

_Hachiko stood there, with Nana. The two stood in their old apartment as they watched the fireworks pop._

_"Thank you, Nana." Hachiko gave a sad smile,_

_"I will definitely be happy," Nana stared at Hachiko, who began to cry. Sighing, she wrapped an arm around her, embracing her in a hug. Hachi began to sob,_

_"Nana, why can't dreams and reality bring happiness to our lives? I still don't understand. But what happened on that night, still remains in my heart. The two of us, chasing our dreams together. I will never forget that shiny moment. " _

Sniffs were heard from the crowd as they began to cry, Hikari felt a tug on her arm and she looked up to see Nashi smiling at her.

"Wasn't that sad?" Hikari nodded and wiped her face from the tears. The two walked out and began to walk around the stores.

"Let's go get some food!" Nashi smiled and grabbed her, dragging her off. Hikari gave out a small smile as she basically flew by the crowded people.

"Ta-da!" Hikari bumped into Nashi as he stopped in front of a restaurant.

"Chinese styled ramen! You have to try some, it's really good."

- **& **-

"Thank you for waiting!" Nanjiroh grinned as he took a bite out of the noddles from the the ramen bowl,

"There's a sweet aftertaste in my mouth after the bean buns. Gotta clean that out!" He began to devour the noddles.

"I can't believe you think he's hot!"

"I never said that Nashi-san." Nanjiroh shifted his gaze to see two teenagers,

"Eh?" His ear twitched as he recognized Hikari,

"You don't need to say it! I see the way you stared at Kanata Hongo during the movie!" Hikari sighed,

"Nashi-san. He's a celebrity, it's not that big of a deal. By the way, I'm done eating. We'll go back to the courts to see if your grip improved." She stood up as Nashi quickly drank the remaining soup of his ramen.

"W-Wait up, Hikari-hime!" He grabbed his things and left a tip on the table as he ran after her. Nanjiroh raised an eyebrow,

'Are they on a date? The tennis brat isn't going to like this...'

- **& **-

Inui walked around Ginka Jr. High in a baseball training outfit to blend in as he analyzed the school. He looked down at his notebook while he walked towards the court,

"Ginka became best four after they defeated Houjyou Jr. High." He looked through the fences, to see every tennis member exhausted on the floor.

"Practices so hard, they over exert themselves. I've got to make sure Seigaku works harder!"

- **& **-

Hikari stared as Nashi's racket flew across the court, she sighed and shook her head.

'How'd I get myself into this again?'

_"Hikari-hime, you have to help me in tennis!" Nashi shook Hikari's shoulder during lunch time._

_"W-wait a m-m-moment! Let go!" Hikari began to get dizzy as Nashi continued to shake her,_

_"F-fine! Nashi-san! Just let g-go!" Nashi let go and beamed at her,_

_"Yay! I got a date with Hikari-hime!"_

- **& **-

Nanjiroh drove the teens home, Sakuno giggled staring at Ryoma in the back. Sitting upwards with the tennis balls around him, Tomoko turned to her.

"What's wrong?" Sakuno put her finger to her lips,

"Shhs, Ryoma-kun's sleeping." Nanjiroh gave a huge laugh.

"He won't be sleeping so well after he hears his girl went on a date today!" Nanjiroh took a sharp turn, Ryoma banged his head against the car's interior.

"KUSO! OYAJI!"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.****January Stats: For the month of 2010-01, there have been a total of 945 Hits and 266 Visitors to story: Can't Stop Thinking Of You. (: THAT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR NOT UPDATING RIGHTT? :D Sighs, I apologize for the lack of UPDATES. cause I fail as a writer _________ This is short btw.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Eighteen : Penal Tea

* * *

"Damn! I'm late!" Hikari quickly ran out the door, Kunihimu stared at her; sweatdropping.

"...Have a nice day?"

Hikari ran towards the school, scowling as she remembered _why _she was late.

'Damn you Hikaru-kun! You had to call from across the world, didn't you?' She ran inside the building to see the team talking,

"-attacked by someone from another school."

"Akutsu's did it? He kicked Arai."

"Who?" The team turned toward her as Ryoma walked out.

"I'm fine, I just fell." Momoshiro grinned as Oishi stared at Ryoma's bandage face.

"Echizen...?" Ryoma turned to Hikari,

"What?" Hikari stared at him,

"What happened to your face?" Ryoma scowled.

"I fell!" Hikari stepped back in surprise,

"Alright...I'll just go change..."

- **& **-

"Water time!" Hikari wheezed as she grabbed a cup of water, Eiji smiled next to her.

"Come on, Kari-chan!" The people behind started to gag, the regulars stopped and stared.

"From now own, if you don't get one minute per lap. You'll have to drink my, penal tea." Red liquid was in the cup, Eiji frowned.

"Sorry Hikari-chan! But I'm never going to drink that!" Hikari scowled as the rest passed by her as well.

"Kikumaru-senpai!" Fuji ran next to her,

"Hikari-chan, I think it might taste good." Hikari looked up,

"Fuji-senpai. I don't think I can do this," Fuji continued to smile and grabbed her wrist,

"Come on, let's catch up!"

- **& **-

"It's been thirty laps!" Horio stared at the regulars, Inui grinned.

"They must not want to drink it...however, whoever is the last to the finish line. Get's this." Inui held up a pitcher of the penal tea. Everyone widened their eyes, Hikari grunted and pushed her legs. Ryoma grabbed a racket and gave it to Takashi. Takashi quickly ran across Momoshiro and Kaidoh; they grabbed him back as Eiji flipped over them. Fuji ran up with Hikari to Tezuka, Ryoma suddenly sped up.

"Mada Mada Dane." They picked up their pace, Hikari wpied the sweat from her face as she caught up to Takashi.

"Ryoma-kun's going to win!" Hikari felt an suden energy boost and sped up close behind Ryoma,

"Ahh!" Hikari tripped as someone stepped on her ribbons, the whole team fell fowards through the court gate.

"Whoa! They all made it on time!" Everyone stayed on the floor,

"I'm tired!" Inui shook his head,

"No winner...how about we all share the drink?" Everyone looked up to him with a glare,

"Drink it yourself!"

___________

"Morning practice was tough," Hikari sat in class with Ryoma and the rest. Horio nodded,

"Did you see how fast you guys ran? It was incredible!" Katsuo nodded,

"Yeah! I want to see what happens on todays practice." Hikari sighed and shook her head,

"Please don't remind me. My legs are sore, including my head, I blame whoever stepped on it!" Ryoma looked out the window as Hikari tapped his shoulder,

"What happened to your face...surely you can't trip that bad." Ryoma narrowed his eyes at his bento.

"Betsuni," Hikari pursed her lips in a thin line.

"Hikari-hime!" Nashi hugged Hikari, she looked up surprise.

"Nashi-san." A random student shyly walked up to the two,

"Is it true that you two...you know, went out...on a, date?" Hikari looked up surprise as Nashi grinned.

"Yup! We went to the movies!" Hikari scowled and stood up,

"Not true, Nashi-san. You know that I was only helping you in tennis." Nashi grinned,

"But we did go on a date! A friend date, not a lover date!" Hikari sighed and shook her head,

"I suppose, well. I'm going to go get my lunch, " She walked out as Nashi grinned.

"Hikari-hime just agreed it was a date!" Ryoma stared at Nashi but then continued to eat his lunch.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better writen (Vocab choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, that was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name.**** Short ):**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Nineteen : Takashi's mystery date

* * *

"How's your injury, Echizen?" Hikari stood with Momoshiro, Eiji, Takashi, and Ryoma. It was after practice, Momoshiro brinned.

"Hey, you guys hungry? Let's go to the burger joint!" Eiji nodded and hugged Hikari,

"Let's go!" Takashi walked off,

"Sorry, I've got somewhere to go today." Ryoma smirked,

"Maybe...he's scared." Hikari turned to them,

"Of what?" Eiji nodded and jumped,

"Yeah yeah, of what?" Momoshiro grinned,

"Of course, a _senpai_, will pay for us to eat. Right?" Eiji looked up ad hugged Hikari tighter.

"W-wait a minute..."

- **& **-

"Wahh! Kari-chan, they punished my wallet!" The four walked out; Eiji was hugging Hikari as she patted his back. The other two walked out with smirks,

"There, there. Kikumaru-senpai. I'll pay for us, next time." Momoshiro shook his head,

"A _girl_ can't pay for a meal! That's just not right." Eiji nodded his head as anime tears rolled down his face,

"Hey, is that Taka?" Hikari looked up to see Takashi walk inside a building. The four hid behind a post as they debated on what was going on,

"Where is he going?"

"Maybe a date?" Hikari widened her eyes in surprise as she looked up to see Inui.

"Did you follow us?!" Momoshiro pointed at Inui.

"Well, he did say he was going somewhere..." Hikari looked at the building,

"It's a restaurant, how about I pay?" Eiji shook his head,

"You can't possibly pay for all of us! It's okay Kari-chan!" The five walked inside to see Takashi walking towards a girl.

"It's a girl!" He sat down and the two began to talk,

"What? What are they saying?" Hikari sat next to Ryoma, while Momoshiro, Eiji, and Inui sat across from them.

"Our specials are on this menu," Hikari looked up to see the waiter pass out the menu. The others looked up and grabbed the menu,

"I'll this one,"

"This one." The people pointed at the pictures as waiter wrote them down.

"I'll have the super deluxe edition strawberry chocolate parfait." Ryoma and Hikari looked at eachother at their unison, the waiter nodded and smiled.

"Is that all?" Everyone nodded as he walked off. Everyone turned their attention back to Takashi, to see the girl break down crying. Momoshiro scowled,

"Damn Taka, you're not suppose to make a girl cry." Takashi stood up and stroked the girl's face. Inui began to write things down,

"What are you writing?" Eiji tried to look over,

"Personal data." Momoshiro sighed,

"How does this relate with tennis at all?" Inui ignored him,

"Thanks for waiting," The waiter passed the parfaits to Momoshiro, Inui, and Eiji.

"And here is the valentine super deluxe edition strawberry chocolate parfait, for the couple here. It's 30% off to all couples." The waiter passed the, rather large, heart shapped strawberry parfait to Ryoma and Hikari. Ryoma and Hikari looked up and opened their mouths,

"We're not-" Momoshiro and Eiji covered their mouths and nervously smiled,

"They didn't know it was a special, thank you!" The waiter nodded and left as the two let go of the freshmen.

"Hey, what was that for?" Eiji wagged his finger,

"It's 30% off, this is all going to Taka, so we don't wanna waste _too _much of his money." Ryoma opened his mouth to protest until Momoshiro pointed back at Taka's table.

"Hey! Look, someones approaching them." Hikari stared at the pale guy, who had white hair and golden eyes, as he sat down next to the girl. Ryoma stared in shock at the guy as began to shake.

"Echizen-kun, what's wrong?" Hikari grabbed Ryoma's shoulder,

"Akutsu..." Hikari tilted her head,

"...Akutsu?" Momoshiro glared and leaned in,

"What?!" Takashi frowned,

"We haven't met since the dojo, right?" Akutsu grinned as Takashi frowned.

"Don't do anything to the students in my school please." Akutsu stood up,

"This is boring." Takashi narrowed his eyes,

"Don't cause any more trouble for Yuuki-chan..." Akutsu grabbed the drink and poured it over Takashi's head.

"Don't order me around." Takashi widened his eyes in surprise as Yuuki began to wipe his face, Akutsu grinned.

"This time, you'll be okay cause of our acquaintance. But next time..." He walked off towards the Seigaku group. Momoshiro scowled and stood up, tripping Akutsu. Everone stared in shock as Ryoma stood up.

"Thanks for the morning. " Eiji, Inui and Momoshiro stood up as well. Ryoma smirked,

"I'm Echizen Ryoma, Seigaku's freshmen."

* * *

Hikari walked home with Ryoma,

"Akutsu, was that his name?" Ryoma looked up at her as they walked home. Ryoma grunted,

"Hn." Hikari narrowed her eyes, noting that the sky was turning orange.

"Echizen, are you ever going to tell me what really happened to your face?" Ryoma said nothing, Hikari sighed and grabbed his shoulders. He widened his eyes and turned to look down at her.

"What are you-" Hikari opened her bookbag, getting out her small emergency kit.

"Your bandages are falling off. Let me repatch them." Ryoma stared at Hikari as she touched his face, completely frozen. Silence was in the air as she finished fixing the bandages. Hikari's green eyes darted up to his golden ones,

"Echizen..." Ryoma stared at her, she narrowed her eyes and poked the wound, really hard.

"Baka, don't go getting into trouble." Ryoma winced and grabbed his cheek as she put away her things, she grabbed her book bag and shook her head before walking off. He quickly ran after her,

"**Thanks.**"


	20. Prince of Tennis : Two Samurai Movie

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing

**A/N: Okay, so I recently just watched part one of the Prince of tennis movie: two samurais, and I'm bursting with energy to just write a story on it. I've haven't finished my Can't Stop Thinking Of You story, but I'm going to use my OC in it. Hope you don't mind. I also already have some plans out for my story, that'll somewhat connect with the movie. So you might not understand it until I put it in into my story. Blah did that even make sense? Well, Enjoy! :D OH YEAH, so if ANYONE can notice the "grand dream" connection to one of my chapter than REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME ABOUT IT. (: **

**Warning:** This movie has EXTREME TENNIS. I MEAN IT, IT'S SERIOUSLY EXTREME. TEZUKA ZONE CREATED SOME EXPLOSION OF LAVA TO THE DINOSAURS IN THIS MOVIE. WATCH IT, IT'S FUNNY AND DRAMATIC.

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i nk i n g O f Y o u

_S p e c i a l M o v i e E d i t i o n_

Prince Of Tennis - Two Samurai : The First Game

* * *

Hikari leaned against the railing and looked out the window, she watched a white dove pass by and she sighed,

'I wonder what the boy's tennis team is doing. They must be having more fun on their summer vacation then me. '

"**Hikari-chan!**" Hikari grunted as she was glomped by a boy with blonde, slightly wavy, hair and grey eyes.

"Hai, Hikaru-kun? " Hikaru pouted,

"**Hikari-chan, it's so boring here. It's summer break, We should go somewhere special and fun!** "Hikari raised her eyebrow,

"**Is there something you aren't telling me?"**Hikaru let go of her and nervously laughed,

"**Well, Obaa-sama wants us to go on a cruise**." Hikari's eyes twitched,

"**Why does she want us to go on a cruise?**" Hikaru started to inch away from her, in fear of getting hurt,

"**Well, you know Obaa-sama...She thinks that a cruise would be most helpful for our relationship**. "Hikari frowned as Hikaru came closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder,

"**We can't go against their words Hikari. I've tried**," Hikari shook her head and gave him a small smile,

"**What kind of cruise is it?**"Hikaru smiled and glomped her,

"**It's going to be so fun! Kunihimu picked the cruise an**- "

**___________**

"Eh, play on a cruise ship? "The tennis teamed stared at Coach Ryuzaki.

"That's right; a magnate called Sakurafubuki Hikomaro loves tennis. He requested that we play an exhibition match as a main event at the part on the ship." The team stared at her while Fuji continued to smile,

"It'll be fun playing tennis on a ship. " Takashi smiled brightly,

"Sugoi! I've never been on a cruise ship before." Eiji jumped up,

"Great it's the first time for you too isn't it, O'chibi! " Ryoma looked down a bit annoyed as Eiji glomped him.

"No, When I was in the US, I went on-"Eiji pulled away with a bewilder expression on his face,

"What!? " Momoshiro started to jump around, moving his arms around,

"Yatta! Cruise ship, CRUISE SHIP!"

"Shut up! " Everyone turned their heads to Kaidoh,

"I can't believe you screamed like a kid." Momoshiro scowled and advanced towards Kaidoh,

"What did you say Mamushi!? Aren't you happy too?" Kaidoh glared at Momoshiro and put his fist up,

"I never said that! " Oishi got in between the two,

"Calm down you two."

"It's not something we can experience every day; I think we should accept it with gratitude." Everyone turned to Tezuka.

"Let's go!" Coach smiled and handed Tezuka the papers,

"Okay it's settled, Enjoy everybody!"

**____________**

"**Eh!? The cruise is tomorrow!**" Hikaru watched as Hikari paced around, panicking. Hikaru smiled and hugged her from behind,

"**It's okay Hikari-chan! The maids are already packing our things,** "Hikari blushed at the sudden contact,

"**U-uh, b-but**." Hikaru smiled and brushed a strand of her hair of her face,

"**It's okay, really. It's already settled, we just need wake up tomorrow to go to the dock**. "Hikari nodded and turned around,

"I can't believe Obaa-sama made me come here to visit _you _for my summer break. Britain is fun and all, but I've grown way attached to Seigaku." Hikaru pouted,

"But you missed me, right?" Hikari poked Hikaru on the nose as she smirked. She turned around and walked away, waving her hand.

"If that's what you want to call it." Hikaru blushed slightly and froze, watching her walk away,

"H-huh? W-wait a moment!" Hikaru stumbled to run up to Hikaru.

**- & - **

**"-wake up. You have to get up to get ready for the cruise.**"Hikari groaned and sat up to see two maids. She nodded as she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

"**You have an hour till the cruise leaves, it'll take 20 minutes to arrive at the shipping docks**. "

Hikari took a quick shower and got out to put on the clothes that were set out for her. She raised her eyebrow at the dress; it was a white summer dress that had black outlines on it. After she put on the dress, a maid came in with accessories; she put on the black rose chocker on Hikari. The maid then went to do Hikari's hair; she had combed her hair so that her curly blond locks had been free from their tingles. She then put a black bracelet on her arm; Hikari stared confused at what was happening,

"**It's just a cruise, is there any reason to be so formal**." The maid looked at Hikari and smiled,

"**Kunihimu informed me that it was to be formal, since it was a classy cruise to be on.**" Hikari shook her head and put on the black high heels she retrieved. She then walked down stairs to see Hikaru dressed in a white tux, matching greatly with her. Hikaru looked up at her and smiled, waving his arm excitedly,

"Hikari-chan! Isn't this great? We get to go on a cruise, _and _we match!" Hikari hit his shoulder as she stood beside him,

"How is matching great? I bet we look like twins or something!" Hikaru stopped and looked at her,

"That's kind of gross, seeing that we-"

"The car has arrived, "Hikari turned to see Watari. She smiled at being able to see him again, she nodded and walked out; she entered the car and sat with Hikaru. She leaned back into the car seat and closed her eyes,

"**Hikari, wake up. We're at the docks." **Hikari snapped open her eyes and looked out the window, there had been a huge ship compared to the rest of the ships. She yawned and grabbed Hikaru's hand as he helped her out of the car. Hikaru walked up to the cruise's stairs and gave the tickets to the worker; he smiled at Hikari as she stared in awe at how big it was,

"Come on, let's go to our rooms to change and maybe we can go to the pool!" Hikari slowly smiled and walked with him.

* * *

"_You should find your grand dream too!" a neon blur flew through the trees and hit the branch of an orange tree. The ball fell down to ground, along with many of the other ones. A kid Ryoma, dressed in a red shirt and jeans with his white cap, stood there and looked at the tennis ball, he put down his racket and climbed the tree. Sounds of footsteps and cicadas cries were heard. Ryoma grunted as he stretched his arm for an orange,_

"_Oi! Chibisuke ! "Ryoma turned around and let out a small gasp as a figure hit a tennis ball over at the orange Ryoma was reaching for. The orange fell and hit Ryoma's head, both his white cap and orange fell. Ryoma quickly climbed down the tree,  
"Give me back my orange!" Ryoma watched as the older boy, blue green hair and tan skin, bounced the orange with his grey racket.  
"Yours? Does it have your name on it?" The boy took a huge bite out of the orange and licked his lips, Ryoma scowled and ran at the boy, the boy grinned and jumped over Ryoma. Letting his racket out of his hands and Ryoma caught it confused, he shook his head and dropped it. Ryoma ran back at the boy only to be hit by his shirt,_

"_Over here! See if you can catch me." Ryoma grunted and struggled to take off the shirt from his face, he looked up to see the boy jump over the white fence,  
"Stop! Wait!" The boy landed into the water and began to swim off with the orange; Ryoma cupped his hands over his mouth,_

"_Give me back my orange!" Ryoma watched as the boy waved the orange around,  
"Mada Mada Daze," the boy smirked and threw the orange up,_

"_Chi-bi-su-ke!" _

* * *

Ryoma lay on a white tanning chair with his eyes closed; a breeze passed by and blew his white cap off his face. A figure walked over to Ryoma as he mumbled in his sleep,

"G-give it back…"the figure threw an orange up and down, Ryoma's eyes fluttered open only to be blinded by the sun, he grunted and raised his hands to cover his face as the figure walked away. A seagull passed by as Ryoma adjusted his eyes to the lighting,

'A dream…?' a stronger breeze flew by as Ryoma cover his face with his hand. He widened his eyes in surprise as a hand pinched his nose,

"W-what are you doing, Momo-senpai?" The hand let go of Ryoma's nose and Ryoma sat up rubbing his nose. Momoshiro kneeled next to Ryoma, shaking his head.

"What do you mean 'what are you doing?' "Ryoma turned around, feeling a slightly weight on his head, he turned around to see Kikumaru wagging his finger.

"I can't believe you're on a cruise ship and you're _sleeping._If you don't enjoy yourself, you'll regret it." Kikumaru then tore Ryoma's red shirt off,

"But we came here to play tennis-"the two grabbed Ryoma in a lock hold and dragged him over to the snow.

"Just cause Hikari-chan isn't here doesn't mean you have to mope about it. She'll be back after summer break!" Ryoma struggled to get out of the hold,

"W-wait a moment, I'm not moping aro-"

"You're correct." The three frozed and looked at Tezuka and a middle aged man in a suit, a cloud began to shadow over the cruise as the man inhaled the cigar. The man had an orange suit with a sliver tie,

"We have various recreational activities on this ship, since you're here, you should utilize them. " Momo blinked,

"Ah, ano. Tezuka-buchou, who is that?"

"This is the owner of the ship, Sakurafubuki Hikomaro-san. "

"You're the magnate that invited us to this cruise." The man smirked and exhaled the smoke from the cigar as the cloud moved on and the ship was once brightened again. Ryoma shifted his hat over to be positioned front,

"Heave, Ho!" Momoshiro and Kikumaru threw Ryoma into the pool; Ryoma grabbed onto his cap and kept his eyes opened wide as he sank deeper into the water.

"I am Sakurafubuki Hikomaro, pleased to meet you. "Kikumaru scratched his head,

"Ah! W-we're the ones who are honored to meet you." Momoshiro nodded his head,

"Thank you very much for invited us," Ryoma floated back up to retrieve air, he gasped loudly, accepting the air that filled his lung, Ryoma looked up at the group,

"Your friends are playing a practice match to prepare for tomorrow on the court. " Momoshiro laughed,

"Honto ne!? We should too!" Momoshiro and Kikumaru ran off,

"Let's go let's go!" Ryoma stared at them;

"Senpai, are you going in your swimsuit?" the two ran back, backwards and smiled sheepishly,

"That's right...We can't."

**- & - **

"I can't believe Obaa-sama got us the largest suite in this cruise. What does she expect two teens to do?" Hikari looked around the room,

"Saa, is everything here marble or something?" Hikaru stared at the walls,

"No matter! Let's walk around the ship!" Hikari laughed as Hikaru jumped around, flailing his arms around in excitement.

"Yeah! We can totally go to the pool, and then maybe check out any other activities that are on this cruise. "Hikaru nodded and opened the curtains wide, shining the sun light into the room.

"Let's go change into our bathing suits and we'll put our normal clothing's over it." Hikari nodded and got out her blue two pieces; it had no designs on it at all, it was just a solid blue color. She head towards the bathroom and put it on, putting her summer dress over it. She walked out to see Hikaru out of his tux and in black shorts and a grey t - shirt, he had black shades on. She laughed and grabbed her white hat to cover her head from the sun's heat; Hikari quickly switched her heels into white flip flops and walked out with Hikaru.

"What's the main event on this cruise?" Hikaru looked down at the paper,

"I think it's a tennis tournament or something," Hikaru blinked,

"Really? Ha, I guess I'll have one thing exciting this to mention to my friends back in Japan." Hikaru pouted and nudged her shoulder,

"What about me?" Hikari laughed and nudged him back,

"What's so exciting about you?" Hikaru grinned and poked her side, Hikari squeeled and glared at Hikaru.

"Don't you dare?" Hikaru's grin just widen, he grabbed her sides and began to tickle her, Hikari laughed,

"Stop- Hahaha, stop it!" people passed by the two murmuring things, Hikari only caught a few words,

"Lovely…cute…couple…sweet." Hikaru blushed and pushed Hikaru's hands away,

"Let's go to the pool now. " Hikaru nodded and grabbed her hands, and proceeded to drag her.

"H-hey, wait a minute! " Hikari gasped as she reached the pool, everything was so bright and alive. Hikari slowed down and watched as Hikaru took off his shirt,

"Come on Hikari-chan, "Hikari scowled as Hikaru threw his shirt at Hikari's face, knocking off her summer hat. Hikaru laughed and jumped into the pool, Hikaru grabbed his shirt and threw it over to one of the white tanning chairs. She grabbed her hat and put it on the chair as well, she took off her summer dress and pulled her long hair into a bun, and she ran and jumped into the pool, creating a semi-huge wave that hit Hikaru.

"G-geez, Hikari-chan! What the hell do you eat!?" Hikari laughed and splashed more water at Hikaru. The two continued to splash water until they got tired, they leaned against the edge of the pool. A couple of adults passed by them,

"I heard one of the teams were having a practice match against each other,"

"Really? Do you want to go check it out?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Hikari raised her eyebrows but stayed silent; she closed her eyes and laid her head on the wall.

"Wahh!" Hikaru stood there in his grey shirt and shades, he splashed water in Hikari's face, and he laughed at her facial expression,

"Hikaru-kun!" He stretched his hand towards her,

"Let's go get some ice cream," Hikari took his head and shook her head, laughing as the water hit his face.

**- & - **

"Hikari, you are so weird." Hikari licked her blue ice cream,

"What do you mean?" Hikaru shook his head and licked his strawberry ice cream,

"Who the hell likes sea salt ice cream?" Hikari pouted,

"People like me!" Hikaru made a face,

"What the hell, sea salt. What kind of flavor is sea salt?" Hikari nudged Hikaru's shoulder,

"It's salty at first, but then it get's sweet. "Hikaru shook his head,

"Whatever, so there's this main dinner event coming on tonight. Oba-sama wants us to attend, but she demanded us to have our own room." Hikari frowned,

"Is this formal?" Hikaru nodded his head; Hikari sighed and licked her ice cream,

"Let's go play some games!" Hikari grinned,

"I'll race you to the arcade!" She ran off first, Hikaru scowled,

"Hey, that's not fair!"

___________________

Eiji walked down the stairs trying to get pass some people,

"Excuse me," he looked over to see the ball pass Oishi,

"It's up to you!" Oishi turned to Kaidoh, Momoshiro walked down the stairs and stood next to Kikumaru,

"Oishi-Senpai who likes to work behind the scenes, and the tough but tenacious viper-like Kaidoh." Kaidoh returned the ball to Inui,

"Chance of hitting it across the court with the snake, 75%" Inui backhanded the ball as Ryoma walked down the stairs and stood next to the other side of Kikumaru,

"The other side has Inui-senpai of data tennis and Kawamura-Senpai of power tennis fame." Takashi returned the ball and grunted; Oishi and Kaidoh stared at the ball as it hit out.

"It was out only by inches." Oishi sighed in relief as Kawamura kneeled to the ground, spinning his tennis racket in agony,

"**God damn! Unbeliev-"**Inui grabbed Takashi's racket out of his hand,

"Too bad, Kawamura." Oishi walked up to the duo,

"It was a good match, Taka-san." Takashi rubbed his head sheepishly,

"No, my grip wasn't very good." Kaidoh walked up and held out his hand,

"Oh?" Takashi smiled and grabbed his hand,

"You're in good shape, Kaidoh"

"You too, Senpai." Momoshiro raised his arms and put it behind his head,

"As long as Taka-san isn't holding a racket, he's so calm- eh?" The crowd in the stands started to cheer and clap loudly, making them look around.

"When did this many people get here?"

"I'm speechless." Momoshiro tightened his fist,

"Okay, it's our turn now. Eiji-Senpai, play against me."

"Okay it'll be doubles though."

"Echizen, let's team up." Ryoma looked down,

"Sure, please just don't be a burden." Momoshiro scowled,

"That's what I wanted to say! Even though you're a kouhai, you speak as if you're above m, you little-"Momoshiro got Ryoma into a head lock.

"Hey, Fuji. Fuji, Want to team up with me for doubles, they're going to be our opponents." Kikumaru pointed to Momoshiro and Ryoma, Fuji turned around and smiled wider,

"Sure, sounds like fun." The four went down and got into positions, Ryoma bounced the ball,

"He's using his right hand that means it'll be a Twist serve."

"Come on, O'chibi!" Ryoma threw up the ball and served, the ball spun on the ground and went towards Kikumaru face. Kikumaru gasped and moved,

"I'll return it next time, O'chibi!" Fuji turned to Kikumaru,

"Eiji, I'm receiving next. "

"I know, I meant after you." Ryoma smirked,

"Here's the next one."

Sakurafubuki smirked as he inhaled his cigar,

'I've researched you all thoroughly, Momoshiro Takeshi. 2nd year, which uses his extreme physical abilities to play dynamic tennis. 'Momoshiro grunted as he return the ball. Kikumaru flipped up into the air and returned the ball,

'Kikumaru Eiji, 3rd year who uses acrobatic tennis.' Fuji turned his body as he returned the hit,

'Syusuke Fuji, 3rd year. A prodigy that hasn't lost a match yet. 'Ryoma smirked and flipped his racket into his left hand,

'The boy that switched to his left hand. A boy that has won four straight American Jr. Championships, 'Ryoma pointed his racket to Fuji,

"Now I'm serious." Ryoma crouched down and got ready to serve,

'A freshmen regular, Echizen Ryoma.' Sakurafubuki chuckled,

'Such a wonderful team, even though one of its players is off in vacation. They had a substitute player replace her.' Kikumaru jumped up,

"Hoi hoi, we win!" Momoshiro turned around with a slight frown,

"I known, it was total domination. " Ryoma walked up towards the net and tipped his hat,

"We would've won if you weren't showing off Momoshiro-Senpai. " Momoshiro scowled,

"What did you say?!" Momoshiro grabbed Ryoma into a head lock,

"It's because you weren't into the game! If you weren't so busy thinking about Hikar-"

"Move over kids, play time is over." Momoshiro let go of Ryoma,

"W-who are you guys? "

"We're the one who will be playing you soon." There stood a team of older guys,

"We won't go easy on you just because you're in Jr. high-"the guy stopped talking as a hand flew across his ear,

"Yo, long time no see, Chibisuke." A guy in a black shirt and same hair color as Ryoma walked out. He threw an orange up and down as Ryoma blinked,

"What's this? Do you know him, Echizen?" Momoshiro, Kikumaru, and Fuji turned to Ryoma.

"No, I don't know him." The guy blinked and put his hand on his face,

"N-no way, did you forget the face of your older brother?"

"Eh!? Older brother?" The guy smirked and bit into his orange, licking his lip. Ryoma blinked at the action,

"I'm Echizen Ryoma, nice to meet you. "

"Echizen...Ryoga!?" Ryoma stared at Ryoga.

* * *

Hikari walked outside of her room in her grey halter dress, it had some ruffles at the end and it poofed out. The dress stopped a few inches over her knees, Hikari had her black rose choker on and she put her hair in the half up, half down style. She had clear lip gloss on and she outlined her eyes with black. She had the same black high heels from before. She looked around and saw Hikaru in a black tux, his tie was sliver. She smiled and nodded her head as the two walked out, She walked into the grand room and saw many other people clapping as a chief chopped the fish, professionally into 5 slices. She looked around and stopped a group of tennis players; she moved her neck to get a better look until a waiter came.

"I am here to escort you to your private dining room." Hikari nodded and walked with him to go eat.

She walked into the room and looked around, noting the designs of the room and she sat down with Hikaru across from here.

"Hikaru, why the hell is Oba-sama so bent on getting us-"

"Today's special will be-"

* * *

"Members of Seishun Gakuen, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting my invitation. " Tezuka bowed his head; he was wearing a purple tux,

"We're the ones who should be thanking you for inviting us."

"I usually invite my business associates here for a party several times a year. Also, I just love tennis." Sakurafubuki stood up and walked over to Ryoga,

"I also have my own tennis club. The exhibition match is the main event of the party, I'm honored that I was able to invite the famous Seigaku Tennis Team who has won many matches, even though I couldn't get all of Seigaku because one of them is on a vacation, I heard that Seigaku's regulars contain several passionate people. " Ryoma looked at his teammates eat, Oishi had been wearing a darker purple tux, Kaidoh wore a dark teal tux without his bandanna, Takashi was wearing a tan tux, while Inui was wearing a black and grey stripped tux, Fuji was wearing a light turquoise tux, Momoshiro was wearing a light tan tux, with Kikumaru wearing a sea green tux. Ryoma looked down at his attired, noting that he had a white tux with a pink undershirt and a yellow tie,

"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's match. Please allow me to introduce my team, first with my captain." Sakurafubuki turned to Ryoga; he was flirting with some girls,

"Also you just lost, "Sakurafubuki coughed,

"Captain, Captain!"The girls and Ryoga turned,

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm Echizen Ryoga, nice to meet you all." He stood up and smiled.

"Seems like you have a relationship with our Echizen, what a coincidence."

"I'm really afraid of coincidences. Hey Chibisuke!" Ryoga greeted Ryoma by flailing his arms around,

"Thank you for taking care of my little brother everyone." Ryoma looked down,

"That's not it…" a guy with blonde hair stood up,

"Guten Tag, I am Albert Schweitz, nice to meet you." The guy next to him stood up,

"Bon Soir, I am Jean-Jacques Marseault, nice to meet you."

**- & - **

Atobe sat in his chair on the phone, listening to some classical music,

"Ah? Seigaku's having a match on a cruise ship?"

"Right, someone with a strange name, Sakurafubuki Hiko-something, invited them to a party. How can the famous Hyotei Gakuen of the Kantou region not be invited, can you really sit quiet like this as the captain, Atobe?" Atobe chuckled,

"I'm sick of cruise ships, but I've never heard of any rich guy named Sakurafubuki."

**- & - **

Hikaru walked out with Hikari,

"Wah, the food looked so delicious, but it didn't taste as good as it looked." Hikari nodded her head,

"It was had no taste what so ever." Hikaru nodded and flailed his arms around,

"It's already so late what do you want to do?" Hikari shrugged her shoulders,

"I want to go to the bathroom, after that we can walk around. I heard the star view from this cruise is really nice." Hikaru grinned and glomped Hikari,

"Hikaru-Chan is so smart! Ja, don't take too much time in the bathroom. "Hikari laughed and pushed him off,

"Same goes to you Hikaru-kun." Hikaru walked into the bathroom and washed his hands; he looked around and spotted something on the wall. He turned off the faucet and dried his hands. He walked towards the wall,

"It's not real marble…" Hikaru pulled on the wall paper and frowned. He walked out and saw Hikari already outside and waiting,

"Hikaru-kun, you took longer than expected. " Hikaru put on a fake smile,

"No way! You probably didn't even go to the bathroom." Hikari nudged his shoulders,

"I did too! How would you know if I did or didn't**, you peeping tom**!" Hikaru gaped as she pointed her finger at him.

"W-what? No I didn't! "Hikari laughed and walked away,

"Let's go check out the stars!"

___________________

"Are you okay with the order of tomorrow's exhibition match?" Tezuka and Oishi stared down at the paper,

"Vice captain Oishi, "Oishi shot up in surprise,

"S-sure, it's fine."

"So it's the captains going at it at the end, Well please go easy on me." Tezuka stared at Ryoga.

"We're the ones honored, let's have a good game," Ryoga smirked,

"Ha, good game" Sakurafubuki took out a cigar,

" I hope you guys didn't think you can just have a regular match after being invited to a gorgeous ship like this, did you? There's no such thing as free lunch." Tezuka narrowed his eyes,

"I'm not following…"

"To be blunt, I need you to lose tomorrow's matches on purpose."

"What?"

"It means there's going to be gambling." Tezuka turned to look at Ryoga,

"The matches from this afternoon were to showcase the players to the customers. Afterwards, everyone bet on the players they liked. This is the odds list." Sakurafubuki put up a piece of paper,

"It is just what we expected from the famous Seigaku, everyone has low odds. " Ryoga whistled,

"I can't believe you're this popular. You really left me in the dust, unbelievable."

"That's right; the low odds mean that you have a lot of people betting on you." Tezuka put down the paper,

"It means if we lose, you will come into a lot of money as the house, that's why you want us to lose on purpose."

"You understand perfectly, that's why you're Seigaku's captain."

"We refuse, let's go Oishi." Oishi and Tezuka stood up; Ryoga smirked and turned to them.

"Hey, hey. Where do you think you're going? We're in the ocean, there's nowhere to hide." Tezuka and Oishi walked out the door to see the chief walk up to them with a knife and chicken in his hand.

"Sir, I've come into some really nice meat." Oishi and Tezuka stepped back as the Chief flashed the knife.

"I'm trying to help you, just do as they say. If you want to go to Japan in once piece." Ryoga looked away as the two stared at him.

"So that's how it is." The team looked at Oishi and Tezuka when they explained what they had to do at the exhibition match.

"I thought it was strange."

"Echizen Ryoga was on it." The team stared at Ryoma,

"Eh?"

"I'm sure the rest were on it as well. Actually, the cooks, as well as rest of people onboard are in cohorts with Sakurafubuki Hikomaro. I want everyone's opinion on the threat of us not returning to Japan if we don't throw the match. "

"Our opinion." Fuji took a sip of his drink,

"That's already etched in stone." Kaidoh spoke up,

"Right."

"Throwing the match?"

"Who's going to do that?" Ryoma got off the railing and turned around,

"We're in agreement."

"This is there ship, which means we're in the belly of our enemies. No place to run, I don't like it, but we should let the gambling continue." Everyone turned to Inui,

"Yes, but we will not throw the match…understood,"

"Hai." Ryoma walked off,

"Echizen where are you going."

"To practice."

**- & - **

Ryoma stood nearby the pool as he bounced the ball against the side of his racket, recalling a memory.

"_Ryoma, this is Echizen Ryoga, he will be your big brother starting today. Be nice to him." Ryoma stared at the kid as his father introduced his. Ryoga smiled and grabbed Ryoma's hat,_

"_Nice to meet you, Chibisuke." Ryoga ruffled Ryoma's hair, Ryoma stood there surprised._

_Ryoma tripped trying to returned the tennis ball,_

"_Come on Ryoma, keep your eyes on the ball. "  
_

"_Ok, Ryoga, you're up next." Ryoga looked up from the tennis magazine,_

"_Ah."  
_

"_That's pretty good. Here I come." Ryoma watched as Ryoga returned each ball._

'Since it's my dad, he probably did it for a reason.' Ryoma continued to bounce the ball, until it slipped and fell into the water.

'He suddenly disappeared, why he is suddenly making his appearing now…' Ryoma stared at the ball.

"Uh." Ryoma caught an orange that hit his head with his racket,

"Chibisuke, it would seem you've gotten better at tennis." Ryoma turned around with a small glare,

"I think you've gotten terribly worse." Ryoga smirked,

"Got me there." Ryoma served the orange at Ryoga's head. Ryoga moved his head and caught the orange and began hitting the tennis ball and the orange,

"I think tennis is great, one ball and one racket. You can overcome obstacles like words or feelings towards a mutual understanding." Ryoma pointed his racket towards Ryoga,

"I don't like lectures from a person who plays fixed matches." Ryoga laughed,

"You're right." Ryoga jumped on the rail,

"After leaving your home, I was really lost and wondering around. Until the Sakurafubuki guy found me playing in fixed game is fun, it's like seeing the world from behind. That's how I was able to meet people with various dreams. I'm sure you wouldn't understand."

"That sort of thing doesn't matter; I know I'll beat you." Ryoga caught the tennis ball and orange,

"Too bad. Unfortunately I'm playing against your captain, it's not for you. It's time for kids to go to bed. "Ryoga walked away,

"Ja ne."

**- & - **

Hikari walked around and spotted spiky red hair, she walked close to see a group of boys. She squinted her eyes and walked closer to see Fuji, Kikumaru, Momoshiro, Takashi, Tezuka, Kaidoh, Inui, Oishi, and her Aniki. She widened her eyes and rubbed them, she stared at the group. A smile fixed its way onto her face as she broke into a run with Hikaru yelling at her,

"Hikari-chan! Where are you going!?" Hikari ignored him and continued to run towards the group, she saw Fuji opened his eyes wide at her, seeing as he was the only one facing her direction. The group turned around and to see what Fuji was staring at, Fuji stood up and Hikari reached at them and tackled Fuji.

"Fuji-Senpai!" Kikumaru shook his head,

"Eh!? Kari-Chan!?" Hikari looked up and saw Kikumaru,

"Eiji-Senpai!" She latched onto him,

"Imouto, what are you doing here." Tezuka narrowed his eyes at his sister, worried about what she was doing on a dangerous boat.

"I'm on vacation here with Hikaru!" Hikaru caught up to Hikari,

"What are you doing!? " Hikaru panted and looked at Hikari, he blinked seeing her happy face.

"Hikaru! This is my team from Japan." Hikaru turned to them,

"Please to meet you, my name is Hikaru Yamabuzuki," Hikari turned around and pointed at Fuji,

"That's Fuji, Oishi, Takashi, Kaidoh, Momoshiro, Inui and that's Tezuka Kunimitsu, my brother. " Everyone exchanged greetings,

"Where's Echizen-kun?"

"He went to practice somewhere." Hikari frowned but didn't say anything,

"So what are you guys doing here?"

"We're playing in the exhibition match," Hikaru pouted,

"Dammit, if I hadn't gone to Britain for the summer break I would've been able to play." Momoshiro scanned her outfit; he laughed and patted her back,

"Not in that dress you're not." Hikari looked down and blushed,

"U-um, this was for the dinner party…" Kikumaru smiled and glomped her,

"Kari-Chan is so cute!" Hikaru scowled and tugged at Hikari,

"Hikari-chan isn't yours to be called cute!" Hikari blinked and winced at the two pulling at her,

'I wonder what Echizen-kun is doing…'

* * *

"Please enjoy the exhibition match between the Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club and the Sakurafubuki Tennis Team."

"Let's go!" The Seigaku team stood huddled in a circle,

"Hai!" The broke out of the circle and went to their positions,

Sakurabuki sat on a dining table, watching the game from above,

"One set match, Seishun Gakuen's Momoshiro to serve." Momoshiro got into a stance,

"Kaidoh, don't screw up." Kaidoh hissed,

"Right back at you." Momoshiro threw up the ball and served, as they rallied. The team stood in a line, staring intently at the game.

"15-0"

"15-15"

"30-15"

"40-15." Kaidoh returned the ball at one of the players, the player gasped and put his racket up to block the ball, the ball hit the racket. The impact was so hard that the racket flew back and hit the player's face; the ball flew up in the air as did Momoshiro. Momoshiro grunted and yelled as he smashed the ball. The ball created a small crate as it hit the ground; Momoshiro smirked and pointed up at Sakurafubuki,

"Doom."

"Game to Momoshiro-Kaidoh. 1 – 0" Sakurafubuki stared in awe,

"There it is, Momoshiro dunk smash." Takashi cheered. The two continued to rally, Hikari watched as Kaidoh returned the ball, and she saw a small spark as the ball hit the racket. The crowd cheered as the ball got a point,

"It's in, Boomerang Snake!"

"Game and match to Seishun Gakuen, Momoshiro-Kaidoh." Momoshiro and Kaidoh walked to each other and banged foreheads.

"All right!" Sakurafubuki scowled,

"Damn those kids." Ryoga smirked,

"You guys really did it, I like that." Kaidoh and Momoshiro walked back,

"Nice game."

"We can't turn back anymore." Ryoma smirked and turned to Takashi,

"Let's just do it. Right, Kawamura-Senpai." Takashi had his racket and his hand as he cheered,

"Of course! Let's win it all baby! "Tezuka pushed up his glasses,

"Okay everyone, let's ride the momentum and play without carelessness."

"Hai!"

Everyone cheered,

"Game and match, Seishun Gakuen, Inui-Kawamura."

**- & - **

"I was quite sure they wouldn't throw any games." Kikumaru hanged on the side of the boat,

"But I can't believe you're winless. I know the matches are fixed, but I hired you highschoolers because you had good records. What kind of results is this?" Kikumaru silently jumped over the railing.

"Are you sure they're Jr. High students? I can't believe it."

"Hey you, the amount of money I lost is almost unbelievable too."

"Let's have them work off the amount we've lost sir."

"What about are pay?"

"Are you stupid!? There's no way we'll pay. You can believe that until you work off the money we lost, you're not going home either." The cook pointed at them with his knife,

"We came because you said there was easy money to be made."

"Be quiet! If you keep this up, I'll lynch you and throw you into the ocean!"

"Stop it, Mr. Fake cook." Ryoga poured orange soda on the cook's head.

"What are you doing, Brat!?" The cook raised his knife; Ryoga smirked and pointed his racket at the cook,

"I told you to stop."

"Don't get all cocky, kid…"

"Old man, as long as we win it's all good right? Right, old man?"

"You're correct. However, you know what will happen if you fail to meet my expectations, right?"

"Don't worry old man," The team walked away. Kikumaru walked away, accidently hitting the rail,

"Who is there?" The cook and Sakurafubuki walked out as Kikumaru went under the railing and onto the other floor.

"Mew mew." Kikumaru cupped his hand over his mouth, hoping that his cat calls would ward them off.

**- & - **

Hikari looked at her suitcase and smiled as she took out a jacket; she grabbed her matching shirt and pulled it over her head. She stripped down her pants and pulled on a white skirt, she zipped the zipper and tied her long blonde hair into two high pigtails with her beloved ribbons. She grabbed her white tennis shoes and put them on. She looked around for the room the Seigaku's were resting at; she opened the door and smirked at the shocked faces.

"Because we won the matches, the other team's members are going through hell." Kikumaru frowned,

"What should we do?" Kaidoh looked up,

"If they were just used by Sakurafubuki then, we can't let this go." The door suddenly opened, Kikumaru gasped.

"**Hey there." **The team looked over to see Hikari in her tennis outfit; she had the Seigaku jacket and a white skirt.

"I know I'm not playing, but I'm still a part of this team, the least I can do is support you guys." Ryoma eyes widen as he stared at Hikari, not knowing she was on the cruise.

"H-Hikari-san?" Hikari turned to Ryoma,

"Yo." The door opened again, this time it was the cook and two workers where behind him,

"Just as I thought, the unnecessary planning ends right here." The cook took out a knife and Hikari stepped back in fear since she was the closest to the door. Tezuka stepped up and grabbed Hikari's to be behind him,

"Fuji, Tezuka, Echizen, come out." The three stared at the chief,

____________

Ryoga threw the orange up and down, remembering a memory,

"_Tennis is a grand dream that allows you to see the grand world." The ball hit the tree, letting the orange fall down,_

"_Sugoi." A figure_ _walked behind Ryoga and patted his head._

"_Ryoga, you should find your grand dream too." _

Ryoma, Fuji, and Tezuka walked by Ryoga, with the three workers behind them.

"Why do you have a confused look on your face?" Ryoga looked at Ryoma.

"Chibisuke,"

"Seeing that orange reminded me, of my dad's old saying 'tennis allows you to see a grand dream in the grand world.' I remembered because you used to eat oranges."

"Ah, I think so." The worker pushed Ryoma's back,

"What are you doing!?" The group continued to walk; Ryoga looked down at his orange.

_Ryoga stood there, watching a tennis match of Ryoma, with Sakurafubuki._

"Grand dream…"

____________

"We will now start the 4th match between Sakurafubuki's Albert Schwelt and Seishun Gakuen's Fuji Syusuke."

"Since the other members are being held hostages, you shouldn't provoke them by making the match one-sided. "

"You're right; I'll make this an even match. I'll also try to stall as long as I can." Fuji walked towards the court. Sakurafubuki leaned on a railing watching the match,

"The three guys playing this afternoon are on a completely different level than the rest. It won't go as smoothly as the morning crew."

Sakurafubuki exhaled the smoke from his cigar, Fuji rallied against his opponent until he hit a strong shot. Fuji grunted as he tried slid back, trying to return the ball.

'It's really heavy.' Ryoma stared at the match,

"Fuji-senpai's opponent is quite good."

"Yeah." Sakurafubuki stared at the match and smirked.

**- & - **

Hikari sat on the coach next to Takashi and Momoshiro confused,

'What's going on… ?' Oishi poured a glass of water and walked back to the couch, he sat in between Momoshiro and Inui. He handed the glass of water to Momoshiro.

"We have to do something to escape. It'll be bad if we keep this up."Inui stared at the cook, who seemed to be very ill.

'Sea sickness.'

Hikari nudged Takashi by his foot, he looked up at her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and looked up at him, feeling that he was very tense at the touch. She turned her head so she could whisper in his ears, she closed her eyes to make it seem like she was tired.

"Takashi-Senpai, what's going on?" Takashi relaxed and stopped blushing, understanding what she was doing,

He turned his head and whispered to her.

**- & - **

Fuji's opponent jumped up to return the ball, Fuji looked at his opponent getting into a stance, until he realized something and let the smash go by,

"Fuji-Senpai stopped his Higuma Otoshi on purpose, didn't he?" Ryoma turned to Tezuka.

"Yeah. He's trying to stall for time by controlling the game. However, it won't hold forever." Fuji stood up from his kneeling position.

_________

Inui bent down into his tennis bag and reached for his water bottle,

"Hey, four eyes! What are you doing?" Inui looked up,

"I'm a little sea sick, and so I'm taking some medicine." Inui showed him his water bottle.

"If you'd like some…" Inui smirked at the cook.

The team walked out the door smiling,

"Good one Inui! There's no way he'll be okay after drinking that," Hikari looked back at the cook lying on the floor, he had drunk Inui's vegetable juice. She laughed and ran with the guys up the stairs,

"There is no way a cook who works on a ship would get sea sick; the cook was probably someone Sakurafubuki hired." Hikari panted as they ran around,

"You mean he's a fake cook?"

"Yes, there are fake things all over the ship, the food tasted bad, the marble that was actually wall paper, this whole ship is probably fake. It was probably manufactured so Sakurafubuki can rake in money from gambling on tennis." Hikari ran into Kaidoh as the group suddenly stopped running,

"I will go inform captain Tezuka "Momoshiro spoke. Oishi nodded his head,

"Ah, please. We'll help Sakurafubuki's team." Takashi looked at Hikari,

"What about Hikari-chan?" Oishi looked at Hikari, his motherly sense tingling.

"Right, Hikari-chan you have to go somewhere safe." Hikari shook her head,

"No! I'm a part of this team too! We have to stick together." Oishi frowned but reluctantly nodded his head,

"Let's go!"

"Hai!" the group ran off,

__________

"Game to Schweitz, 5 – 4 "Fuji walked to back to the base line.

"This is as far as he can stall." Ryoma turned to Tezuka and looked around, his eyes widened. He looked at Momoshiro waving his arms widely around.

"Momo-senpai..." Tezuka looked over; Momoshiro waved his arms and smiled brightly. Fuji looked up and smiled,

"Momo, you escaped." Fuji bounced the ball and looked at his opponent, with his eyes open. He threw up the ball and served, the two rallied until Fuji hit a lob. His opponent jumped up and smashed it, Fuji got into a stance, wind blowing around him. He grunted and returned the ball, Fuji stood up with a straight face.

"Gomen, but I'm taking this one."

"Eh?" Momoshiro cheered,

"There it is, the Higuma Otoshi! Yay, Yay, Yay!" Sakurafubuki snapped his cigar in half,

"They escaped..."

"Sorry sir." Sakurafuki turned around to see the cook,

"It doesn't matter, go find them!"

"We will now start the 5th match between Sakurafubuki tennis team's Jean-Jacques Marseault and Seishun Gakuen's Tezuka Kunimitsu. " Ryoma looked up from tying his shoes,

"Huh?" Tezuka walked up,

"I will be playing in this match; your opponent is Echizen Ryoga." Ryoma stared,

"Buchou." Ryoma stared as Tezuka played against Marseault.

"Tezuka zone; Tezuka's ultimate move where he puts a spin on the ball so that all the returns land near him. "

"It's over for him." Fuji watched as Tezuka dominated his opponent.

"Game and match, Seishun Gakuen Tezuka" Sakurafubuki turned to the team,

"Are you guys ready to suffer the consequences? Damn." The cook grabbed two of the teammates.

"How much money do you think I have invested in this event?"

"Old man that's lame, you don't have to yell."

"Shut up! This is my one big score and you-"

"As long as I win the last match, its fine, right?" Ryoga smirked as Sakurafubuki fumed.

"I'll win, just as you wish."

"Very well, however remember this. If you were to lose as well, you won't be let off so easily." Sakurafubuki took the cook's knife.

"That's fine, old man. Just who do you think I am? I'm Echizen Ryoga."

**- & - **

"Let's try to get to the deck." Hikari stood with both teams,

"Who's the girl?" Hikari looked at them,

"Tezuka Hikari, member of Seishun Gakuen Tennis Team. "The guy raised his eyebrow,

"I found them, there over here!" The group looked up to see one of the workers coming down the stairs.

"Ah, they found us! Run." The group ran away.

__________

Hikaru frowned,

"Where the hell are you Hikari!? I haven't seen you at this morning! What the hell is going on!?" Hikaru slammed his fist into the wall. He looked

down at his cell phone; he picked it up and dialed some numbers.

___________

"Well everyone, we laughed and cried, but it's finally the last match. But before that, Sakurafubuki-san has some big news. "The guy stepped away from the mike as Sakurafubuki walked up,

"Have you all won a lot of money?" The crowd cheered as some disagreed,

"There seems to be some losers in the crowd, I am also one of them. I can't believe my team has not won a match. I think some of you who bet on my team for this match believe it's a lost cause. As a special rule, we will allow for extra betting time. You can further bet on your player, or bet on the opponent." Fuji frowned,

"I see, by increasing the bet on Echizen, he plans to make back all his losses." Ryoma and Ryoga began to stretch,

"You're quite popular, most people will bet on you." Ryoma straighten himself,

"Maybe you should bet on me too."

"We will now start the final match between Sakurafubuki's Echizen Ryoga and Seishun Gakuen's Echizen Ryoma."

"Excuse me if I don't laugh at the lame joke. Listen Chibisuke, if you don't lose, you guy will be in a lot of trouble. He's really serious"

"So?"

"If you're worried about your friends, you'll lose the match."

"Just come out and say that you're not as good as me." Ryoga scoffed,

"You were cuter when you were younger. You should listen to your older brother's warning."

"One set match, Sakurafubuki's Echizen Ryoga to serve." Ryoga bounced the ball and threw it up,

"Here I come!" Ryoma swung his racket, but missed when the ball curved

'Twist serve!?'

"15-love "everyone stared in shock as Ryoga bounced tennis ball on the side of his racket

"This is the twist serve Samurai Nanjirou passed down to me." Ryoma got back into stance,

"Oh, is that so?" Ryoga threw up the ball,

"Here I come again." Ryoga served the ball and Ryoma ran in front of it.

"If you know how it will bounce, it's not a ball Echizen can't return. Ryoma felt his eyes widen as he stared at the ball,

'It's not a twist!' Ryoma fell back from the impact; his cap flew off as he glared at his brother.

"Baka,"

"30-love." Ryoma got up,

"I don't like this…"

**- & - **

Hikari ran as fast as she could away from the workers, the group panted hard as they passed through the bar. Oishi turned one corner as a bartender threw a dart right across Oishi face. Oishi stopped and started at the dart that was stuck in the wall. He turned and looked at the bartender,

"Run! He's one of them!" Inui ran by Oishi as the bartender jumped over the bar and came after them.

Kaidoh burst through a door and turned around to check it anyone was behind him and turned back around to run up the stairs. He hissed as four workers were at the top of the stairs and he ran back down.

Inui, Kikumaru, Oishi and Hikari ran as Kikumaru looked behind,

"Hey, hey! The number of people chasing us has increased!" Hikari turned her head to see four sailors, one doctor, one nurse, one cook, and some guy in a black coat. She yelled out in frustration and pushed her legs to run faster.

"What the hell is going on!? What kind of cruise did Kunihimu put me on!? **DAMMIT**!"

**- & - **

Ryoma flew back as he missed the ball,

"Game won my Echizen Ryoga, 1 – 0 "Ryoga walked up towards the net,

"Tch, do you really intend to play, Chibisuke? I don't really care either way." Ryoma scowled,

"Kuso."

________

Hikari ran through the underground pipes of the ship and slowed down, seeing as the people weren't chasing them. Inui looked around,

"I'm surprise; we're at the boiler room." Hikari wheezed and leaned against Oishi,

"This is so tiring. I haven't run this much since my last tennis practice. "

"Hikari-chan! Are you okay!?" Hikari waved her hand, signaling she was okay.

"A boiler room?"

"That's right. It means the ship looks like a cruise ship but is actually an aged ship still using a steam engine to run." Kikumaru looked around under some pipes,

"Sugoi." He froze when he saw a man with a gun.

"You brats, give it up!" Oishi gasped and turned around to see the man with the gun. Kikumaru sneaked behind him, giving hands signs not to say anything. Oishi gasped, and the man looked to his right, Kikumaru ducked. The man turned back to Oishi,

"Don't move!" Kikumaru got up and the man turned around to face Kikumaru. He gasped and turned around and shot the gun at a pipe, Kikumaru grunted and ducked. The man closed his eyes as Hikari, Inui, Oishi, and Kikumaru ran off,

"Now's the time to run!" the guy ran after them,

"Wait!" the man ran and grabbed onto Hikari's ribbon, yanking her back.

"AH!" the boys turned around and gasped, Hikari widened her eyes and she turned around, punching him across the face. The man fell back and she swiped her feet under his to make him trip. The guy tripped backwards, and his gun flew out of his hand. Kikumaru grunted and grabbed Hikari's wrist and began to run.

_________

Ryoma panted and scowled,

"Game to Echizen Ryoga, 2 – 0 "Ryoga yawned, Fuji stared at the game.

"I can't believe Echizen is helpless." Tezuka crossed his arms,

"As Echizen's older brother, he could the closet person to the former Samurai Nanjirou."

"It's not fun, Chibisuke." Ryoga returned the ball, the two rallied as Ryoga smirked. Ryoma gave out a yell and jumped up returning the ball in a whirlwind, Ryoga's eyes widened as it hit him on the chest. Ryoga flew backwards,

"30-15."

"There it is, the Cyclone Smash!" Ryoga grunted and got up,

"Hey, you were holding back on me." Sakurafubuki shot up in his chair,

"Hey! What are you doing!? End it quickly!" Ryoma hit the cyclone again, creating a massive whirl wind. Ryoga smirked and jumped inside it, returned it. Fuji snapped his eyes open,

"He returned it." Tezuka widened his eyes,

"He saw through it already!"

"Sorry Chibisuke! Mada Mada Daze. "Ryoma turned around in mid air and spun, creating another whirlwind. Ryoga widened his eyes,

"No way!" The ball passed by him,

"Game to Echizen Ryoma 4 – 1, change court!" Sakurafubuki grabbed his hair,

"I-I-is he okay!? If he loses this match. I will…I will-"a sailor came behind him and whispered something,

"What? I see, I'll have Echizen Ryoma lose on purpose then. "Sakurafubuki smirked. Ryoga wiped his pants and stared at Ryoma,

"I was really surprised by your last smash."

"Hey, I've never really played a match with you, right? "

_Little Ryoma fell backwards trying to hit the ball, Ryoga walked up to him,_

"_Ah, I quit."  
_

"_Why it's not over yet." Ryoma raised his head to see Ryoga._

"_But Chibisuke, you're really bad. It's boring." Ryoma stood up and walked up to Ryoga's face._

"_It's not boring! Let's play to the end!"  
_

"_Even if we play to the end, the results will be the same, just a waste of time. You should practice until you can at least win a game from me. "Ryoga poked Ryoma's forehead,_

"_Mada Mada Daze." _

"Have we ever seriously played against each other?" Ryoga smirked,

"No, we haven't." Ryoma looked at him.

"Let's end this now."

"Sure Chibisuke," Ryoma got out another ball and got into stance as Sakurafubuki walked up to the railing with a microphone in his hands.

"Time out." Ryoma and Ryoga looked up at Sakurafubuki.

"I'm sorry to do this during the match, but the other members of Seigaku had gotten lost, and so…we have found them." Hikari, Kikumaru, Oishi, Kaidoh, Inui, Takashi walked up next to Sakurafubuki.

"Echizen Ryoma-kun, you know what this means, right?" Ryoma frowned at Hikari's pained face. Hikari winced as a man with a bruise across his face, pushed the gun at her back. Tezuka and Fuji scowled deeper when they saw the gun.

"He's planning to make Echizen lose by holding everyone hostage." Kikumaru frowned and struggled,

"Everyone! Don't be fooled! They're trying to fix th-" The cook grabbed Kikumaru in a head lock,

"Hey, don't get in over your head." Kikumaru gulped, feeling the knife be slightly poked in his back. Hikari frowned and ran up to Kikumaru,

"Kikumaru-senpa-"Hikari cried out in pain as the man grabbed her ribbon, making it looked like he accidently stepped on it. Hikari whimper as she felt a gun poke her back and she heard a small click.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need to worry, please continue the match. " Ryoma and Ryoga stared up, Ryoma tightened his grip on his racket,

"Hikari-san…" Ryoga looked at Ryoma,

"Understand?" Ryoma turned to Ryoga,

"Too bad, but I'm counting on you to fix the match." Ryoma scowled,

"You want to do it."

"Don't be stubborn; your girlfriend up there is already pushing her limit as well." Ryoma deepened his scowl,

"I was changing my mind about you, and you're the worst!" Ryoma got into stance, tightening his grip on the tennis ball; he threw up the ball and served.

"That was a nice serve," The two rallied,

"Hey Chibisuke, you remember the time I stole your orange, right? Did you forget it? The orange tree!" Ryoga hit a lob.

Ryoma gasped a bit, feeling as though the tennis court was the orange tree.

"Orange tree?" he smirked,

"I see." Ryoma returned it with a lob, Ryoga returned the ball, up to where Sakurafubuki. The cook fell backwards from the impact, Ryoga smirked.

"Ryoga, you bastard." Oishi glared at the man in the gun,

"Now's the time!" Everyone turned to hit the man or tackle him, since their hands were tied behind their backs.

"H-hey! Hey you" Ryoma served a ball and Sakurafubuki turned around, gasping as the ball hit him in the face. The guys untied each other hand and nodded,

"Okay, let's escape now." They got up from their kneeling position and ran out, until Kikumaru stopped and kicked the man once more.

"That's for hurting Hikari-chan! " Kikumaru grabbed Hikari's wrist and dragged her out, everyone gasped at the scene. Fuji turned to Tezuka,

"Tezuka,"

"Yes." The two ran to find the rest of the team as a dark cloud gloomed over the ship.

"That was pretty good, Chibisuke. " Ryoma turned and smirked at his brother,

"Now that the distractions are gone, the match…Let's start it." Ryoma pointed his red racket at  
Ryoga. Ryoga smirked,

"I won't hold back anymore." Ryoga got into a stance, the crowd stood up from the shaking ship,

"Why is the ship shaking?" Ryoga served the ball as part of the ship exploded, Ryoma returned as another part exploded.

"W-what was that?!"

**- & - **

Hikari fell onto Kaidoh as the ship shook,

"Ugh!" Kaidoh caught Hikari by the waist.

"Fshhu, Are you okay? " Hikari blushed,

"Yeah, we have to hurry!" She started to run to get to Ryoma.

**- & - **

Sakurafubuki stumbled against the railing,

"What is this? What happened?" Everyone began to try and get out, panicking.

___________

Fuji leaned onto the wall,

"Tezuka." Tezuka nodded,

"Yes, it's too dangerous. Everyone! Please abandon the ship!" Another explosion came on as everyone screamed; Takashi waved his arm into a direction,

"This way, the lifeboats are this way."

___________

"Please calm down! Please don't worry. Everyone can get on the lifeboats!" Kikumaru waved his arms around trying to calm them down,

"Don't push, please don't push!" The crowd pushed forward and Kikumaru slipped off,

"Kikumaru-Senpai!" Momoshiro caught Kikumaru and slipped forward as well. They screamed as they fell into the water.

"MOMO! EIJI!"

**- & - **

Ryoma and Ryoga rallied as the rain poured down on them. Ryoga hit the ball as lightning flashed,

"Come on! " Ryoma returned the ball as another flash of lightning came. Ryoga turned it and Ryoma slid in the water and returned it. Ryoga grunted and returned it, Ryoma got into his Cyclone stance, as a whirlwind started to appear.

"I'm stick of that move now!" Ryoga ran up to the net and stopped as the whirlwind turned into five fire cyclones, with Ryoma in the middle. Ryoga looked up and smirked,

"That's how it should be!" He got into a stance as a wave came behind him, a purple orb started to form around him.

**- & - **

Hikari ran, pushing everyone through the crowd, until an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Hikari! " Hikari turned around to see Hikaru with a worried face,

"**Where the hell are you going!?** **The helicopters are waiting for us over there!"**Hikari struggled out of his grasp,

"**I can't! I have to go."**Hikaru tightened his gripped,

"**Where the hell do you have to go!?"**Hikari turned around and stared at him with a teary face,

"**I need to go find Ryoma! I need to see if he's okay."** Hikaru let go of her shocked at her tears.

"H-hikari…" Hikari turned around and ran towards the stadium. Hikaru grunted as people pushed him around, trying to get to the boats.

Hikari wiped her face as she ran against everyone, she ran down the stairs as fast as she could to get to Ryoma. She gasped as she saw a fire cyclone and wave collide with each other.

___________

Ryoma yelled as he flew across with his fire and Ryoga yelled back as he flew with his wave. The water and fire pushed against each other until

the water over powered the fire. Hikari looked up to see the wave from the sea came over and drowned the stadium, Hikari screamed as she flew

back from the sudden impact of the wave. Ryoma returned the golden ball underwater. Ryoga grunted as he returned the ball, Ryoma suddenly

jumped up high in a long fire cyclone while Ryoga jumped up with him the two swung their rackets towards the ball, causing some sort of negative

magnetic reaction around the ball and flew back. The ball flew up as Ryoma flipped backwards and jumped up in his fire cyclone. Ryoga jumped

from the water in his water cyclone, both aiming for the ball.

___________

Fuji turned to Tezuka,

"Where's Hikari-chan!?" Tezuka widened his eyes.

**- & - **

Hikari slowly closed her eyes as she felt a huge sudden force push her down, she fluttered her eyes back open and tried to look around as but her blond locks had fallen out from her pigtails and covered her vision. Hikari tried to move her hair from her face as started to swim up because she was losing air. She looked up to see three orbs in the air, one blue on the left and one red on the right, with a yellow orb in the middle. She squinted her eyes as she swam up towards the light.

**- & - **

Ryoma and Ryoga grunted loudly as they stretched their racket back to hit the ball,

"_Hmm, you've become good. Chibisuke. "There stood little Ryoga staring at the ball in his hands as little Ryoma stared confused,_

"_Huh?" Ryoma lowered his arms and smiled brightly,_

"_Honto!?" _

The two continue to fly upwards with the ball, Ryoma grinded his teeth.

_Little Ryoma blinked confused,_

"_Eh?" He closed his eyes from a sudden impact as little Ryoga rubbed Ryoma's head,_

"_It was fun. Let's play another match some day." Ryoga smiled._

Ryoga grinded his teeth and stretched his arm further, but missed and fell backwards as Ryoma shot up and raised his arms back. Ryoma swung his arm, but the ball had too much power and grabbed his racket with two hands. He grunted and pulled his arm forward, returning the ball.

Ryoma kneeled on the ground with his eyes closed as light began to shine through the clouds and onto him, he panted as he tried to regain his breath. Ryoga laid on the ground as the sun started to sun through on him, he opened his eyes and smiled,

"Game and Match, You…win. It was fun; the grand dream…When Sakurafubuki was searching for opponents to fix games with…I saw you in the video he was watching. To be honest, I had forgotten about you. The moment I saw you in the video, I remembered everything. It was fun, really fun..." Ryoma smiled as he panted.

_____________

Hikari fluttered her eyes open and she shakily pulled out her hand, she coughed out some water and stood up against one of the railings on the stadium. She turned her head towards the court to see the two brothers, smiling. Hikari smiled softly at the brotherly scene,

"Ryoma!" Ryoma snapped his head up and looked at her; he blinked in surprise, thinking that everyone left. He watched as she ran down the stairs and towards him, he grunted as he was tackled. Hikari laughed as they rolled around due to the impact she had. She landed on top of him as he stared at her, shocked. She rolled off and lied down next to him as he sat up.

"**Ryoma, I missed you a lot.**" Ryoma blushed as she got up and looked at him with her hair messily everywhere. Hikari grabbed his hat from the floor and put over his face, she laughed and pushed his face, making him fall down.

"Mada Mada Dane, Ryoma."

______________

"Sakurafubuki Hikomaro, we're arresting you on the charges of gambling, fraud, and illegal firearms. " A boat sailed by with Atobe standing on it; he was talking on the phone,

"Oh, Oshitari. Like I expected, that Sakurafubuki was a fraud. Don't worry; I'm heading for that ship right now."

**- & - **

The Seigaku team stood on the boat, waiting for any signs of Ryoma or Hikari; they stared intently as a water skiing boat came out of the black smoke.

"There they are! Echizen, Hikari! "Ryoga threw Ryoma out and Hikari right after; the two collided with each other as they landed back into the ocean. Ryoma let out a small yell from being flip as Hikari held onto Ryoma, completely drained of energy and too tired to swim. Takashi and Kikumaru bend over the ship,

"Echizen, Hikari-chan!" Fuji opened his eyes at the two.

"Echizen, Hikari-san!" Momoshiro leaned over the railing of the boat,

"O'chibi, Kari-Chan!" Kikumaru smiled brightly,

"Echizen, Tezuka-san." Kaidoh leaned back with his eyes close, a relieved expression on his face.

"Echizen, Hikari-chan!" Takashi gripped the railing of the boat.

"Hikari-san, Echizen" Inui pushed up his glasses,

"Hikari-chan, Echizen-kun!" Oishi ceased his worried expression and put a smile on his face,

"Imouto, Echizen!" Tezuka stared at the two in the ocean, glad that they were safe.

Ryoga picked up Ryoma's white hat that was floating and put it on his head with a smirk.

"Chibisuke! Find your…Grand dream!" Ryoga threw an orange at Ryoma, and he caught it. Ryoga went off with the boat,

"Ja ne! Yahoo! I'm going to find an even bigger dream! "Ryoma held the orange in his hand and just stared.

Ryoma turned around and looked at Hikari who was smiling brightly at the team, Ryoma directed his gave to his team mates,

'_Grand dream_…'

"**Hikari! Hikari! Where are you!?**" Hikari snapped her head upwards and looked up to see Hikaru and Kunihimu on a helicopter,

"**Over here! **Hikaru-kun, Uncle!" Hikaru turned his head towards with a hopeful look,

"**Come on! We have to go!**"Hikaru dropped a ladder down to Hikari. Hikari frowned slightly and looked at the team,

"You guys, it was such a blessing to see you guys. I'm going to miss you..." Hikari looked down as she felt her eyes sting,

"Hikari-chan…" She looked up with tears on her face, Ryoma looked at her.

"Hikari no Baka**. It's just summer break, you'll be back."**Hikari shook her head and laughed, she wiped her salty tears.

"**I'll be back, I promise!** " Hikari let go of Ryoma and swim towards the ladder. She stopped mid way and frantically swam back to Ryoma, he stared at her flushed face. She leaned her head and kissed him on the check,

"**To seal the promise, **" Ryoma raised his hand to his cheek, slightly blushing, and he stared as Hikari swam to the ladder and climbed on it, she stayed on it as the helicopter started to move. She turned around cupped one hand over her mouth,

"Bye guys! See you soon." The guys waved her arms,

"You better come back Hikari-chan!" Hikari locked eyes with Ryoma and smiled,

"**Bye Ryoma.**" Hikari turned back around and climbed up the ladder fully, Hikaru reached out his hand and helped her up.

"Bye Hikari…" Ryoma starred at her with a smile.

______________

Hikaru looked back at the group and gave a small smile,

'I can't tell whose more attached to whom, Hikari to Seigaku. Or Seigaku to Hikari. '

_Wins and losses aren't everything,_

_I know that in my mind, yet…_

_My tears of regret have a taste of salty bitterness to them._

_That's why we began to run, _

_**Get the glory!**_

Hikari sat inside the Helicopter,

"Oi, Uncle, what the hell were you thinking putting me on a crazy grambling cruise ship with Hikaru-kun?" Kunihimu chuckled and patted her head. Hitomi cried out and hugged Hikari; after releasing Hikaru.

"Oh sweetie, you're okay! I was so worried!" Hikari slightly widened her eyes as she felt wet on her shoulders. Hikari looked at Hitomi to see her crying, Hikaru came and grabbed his mom,

"Mum, it's alright. We're fine now." She nodded and wiped her tears; going back to smother her beloved son.

_The world is always covered in a gloomy rain,_

_Although we don't have an umbrella…_

_It's all right! It's fine!_

"Seeing your face whenever you sigh or look out the window." Hikari blinked,

"Huh?" Kunihimu smiled at her confusion,

_I don't mind getting drenched, _

_The important thing is the courage to go on,_

_Such things as somebody's ok, now throw them out._

_And do things as you want, what you can believe in…_

"Obaa-sama, wanted you to stay in the mansion with Hikaru all summer right?" Hikari slowly nodded her head,

"I want you to do the things you want, what you believe in…" Hikari widened her eyes,

_Is yourself._

_The last scene is always a happy one,_

_I've thrown away my feelings of sadness in an orange towards the sky._

"What do you mean…" Kunihimu looked at Hikari,

"Did you not what to stay with the Seigaku Tennis Team for your summer break?"

_Even if I stood on my head, I couldn't compare…_

_To the that person's back I kept chasing after that day._

_Hard separations will someday change the joy of an encounter._

_Good luck my friends!_

"Let's just say I was informed of what cruise the Seigaku teams were going to be in." Hikari gaped at Kunihimu as he smiled.

_I can believe in…the friends I have!_

_Although you are now a tiny existence…_

_Your dreams are hope!_

Hikari grinned and jumped at Kunihimu,

"Thank you! Thank you!"

_Get a grab at your very own__** glory**__!_


	21. Chapter 2o

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: I've decided to rewrite my story, they're mostly the same, except probably better written (Vocabulary choice, Syntax, etc.). Remember, I'm still editing my story, so later on if you see someone named Sosuke, which was Kunihimu's original name until I noticed the Tezuka family had a strange pattern of "Kuni" in the male's first name. Short, very short, I mean O'CHIBI short. It won't be long until chapter twenty one, which is coming right up :D  
Edit, 3/28/10: So, it's spring break (: I have a lot of time now! Enjoy.**

* * *

C a n ' t S t o p T h i n k i n g O f Y o u

Chapter Twenty : Rain

* * *

"We're running again," Ryoma nodded as the regulars ran with them. Hikari sighed and continued to run,

"I've upgraded my penal tea, I hope you guys enjoy." Inui grinned as everyone ran faster. Fuji smiled,

"I wanna try," Kaidoh suddenly sped pass them,

"I never want to try that."

"Oh, and it's under 55 seconds today." Everyone deadpanned,

"I'm never going to dink that!" The regulars sped up,

"So, Taka. Was that your girlfriend yesterday?" Takashi looked back at Eiji surprised,

"What?" Eiji grinned,

"I thought so," Takashi began to blush.

"That's not it!" Momoshiro smiled,

"It's okay!" Eiji nodded,

"Everyone has their time." Kaidoh looked back,

"Time?"

"When you admire older women; just like O'chibi and Kari-chan!" Hikari blinked in surprise,

"Eh?!" Ryoma pulled his cap down,

"That's not true at all." Hikari nodded,

"Yeah, plus. Echizen's older than me, I was born in January 1st, him in December 25th. But different years, him in 1995 and me in 1996."

"Really? Wow! Kari-Chan's so young!" Sumire looked up,

"This is the last lap! Pick up your pace!" Everyone widened their eyes in surprise and pushed their legs forward. Momoshiro turned to Fuji,

"I thought you liked that drink?"

"Inui's penal tea? Yeah I like it. It's really good."

"Then why are you trying so hard?" Fuji turned to him with a smile,

"Because I like to see people suffer more," Momoshiro widened his eyes as Ryoma passed a racket to Takashi. Momoshiro and Hikari looked at each other and whispered,

"Make sure we never cross him." Takashi suddenly sped up, due to his burning stage.

"Who won?" Inui stopped his timer,

"It's a tie," Everyone lied on the floor, wheezing.

"Get up everyone, to compete in the nationals. We need to improve your endurance. We're going to have practice matches," Momoshiro looked up,

"Really? Right now?" Tezuka crossed his arms,

"Fuji and Echizen." The two looked at each other.

-**&-**

"One set to serve, Fuji to serve!" Ryoma began to bounce up and down.

"Who do you think?"

"Fuji."

"Fuji."

"Fuji."

"Echizen." Momoshiro and Hikari looked at each other as the rest of the team stared at the two.

Fuji threw up the ball and served with a grunt, Ryoma returned and ran up to the net. The two began to rally, Fuji's eyes opened.

"Game, Echizen. 1 game to love." Hikari stared at the two in awe and jealously at their strength. They continuous rally until Ryoma began to slide and complete his new move, drive B. Fuji went to dive for the ball; Ryoma looked up and smashed the ball. Fuji's eyes shot open and he swung his arms out. Everyone's eyes were wide as the ball bounced.

"What happened?!" It was all silent as Inui explained,

"One of Fuji's triple counter, Higuma Otoshi."

"Sugoi!" Inui pushed up his glasses,

"That's why Fuji is a tensai." Hikari coughed and turned around, walking off. Momoshiro looked at her,

"Where are you going?" Hikari waved her hand,

"I'm thirsty."

"Eh?! In the middle of this game?"

-**&-**

Hikari slowly walked to the locker room to get some yen. She sighed and looked out the window,

"It's clear outside today."

-**&-**

Ryoma narrowed his eyes and looked up, smirking.  
"I will definitely break it!"

Ryoma smashed the lob and Fuji Higuma Otoshi-ed it,

"Out!" Fuji looked at the ball and back up at Ryoma.

"You're awesome, Echizen-kun." Ryoma smirked.

"Domo."

"Sensei, it's time." Sumire turned,

"Momo, go to court D." Momoshiro turned and grinned,

"Great, who's my opponent?" Tezuka took off his jacket,

"I'll do it." Sumire nodded,

"In five minutes, Court E will be Kawamura and Kaidoh. Fifteen minutes, court C will be Oishi and Kikumaru. 25 minutes, court B will be Hikari and Inui. Eh, where's Hikari?" Sumire looked around as Momoshiro waved his hand as the called out people walked to their courts,

"She went to get a drink,"

"Then let's give her 30 minutes." Fuji smiled wider,

"I wanna see Momo's and Buchou's match." Ryoma smirked,

"Then let's end this quickly."

-**&-**

Hikari pushed the button on the soda machine and a watermelon ponta fell out.

"I heard Momo and Tezuka were having a match, let's go check it out!" Two boys passed by as Hikari grabbed her soda.

"I also heard the golden pair was going against each other."

"Really? Let's go before they end." Hikari popped open the can and sat down on the bench as she took the first sip of her drink. She leaned into the bench and looked up at the sky.

"Is it me, or did the sky get darker?"

-**&-**

"Momo's match is over already!? It's only been 5 minutes!" Tezuka walked off as Momoshiro lay on the ground; remembering the match. He gripped his racket,

"He's strong." Thunder was heard.

"It's going to rain" The trio ducked their head as Sumire looked up as it began to rain. Everyone stopped playing, except Ryoma and Fuji.

"Practice is over!"

-**&-**

Rain poured down as a sudden thud was heard, Hikari snapped her head at noise and saw a guy with grey hair, injured, laying on the floor. Her breath suddenly became uneven due to two things. But without a second thought she got up.

"Are you okay?!" Hikari ran to the guy, noticing the bruises.

"I'm fine, just having fun." The guy looked up with his yellow eyes as Hikari grabbed him and put him to bench as best as she could. She took off her jacket and put it over his head as she ran off to the lockers to get her first aid kit.

"I'll be back with an umbrella and first aid kit, stay here!"

-**&-**

"First years, clean up the nets and balls." A grunt was heard,

"They're still going?!" Fuji and Ryoma rallied as others stared at them.

-**&-**

Hikari stopped in front of the boy as she shook with the umbrella in her hand and the kit.

"Does it hurt?" The guy looked up,

"No, I was only looking around for fun." Hikari dropped the umbrella as it thundered. He looked up at her with his yellow orbs and spoke with a harsh voice.

"What's wrong with you?" Hikari shook her head and picked up the umbrella shakily.

"N-nothing, w-what happened to you?" The guy stood up and tossed her jacket back at her.

"Having fun, don't worry about it." He began to walk off with his hand in his pockets. Hikari widened her eyes and stepped up.

"Chotto matte! Hikari desu, who are you?" The only noise that was made was the million of rain drops.

"Akutsu Jin." Hikari starred as he walked off, thunder clapped and she jumped up. She ran back to the tennis courts with her hair flying and clothes sticking to her body.

"Looks like they're serious." Hikari stopped behind Kikumaru,

"Who?" Kikumaru jumped up and turned to her.

"Kari-chan?! Where were you?" Hikari looked up at him,

"Getting a drink."

"I don't think you understand what I meant when I said practice is over!" The two stopped. Thunder clapped and lightning stroke as Hikari latched on to Kikumaru. Kikumaru turned to Hikari and hugged her.

"A practice game is a practice game. It's practicing, not an actual match. You guys have all the time to continue this. Tennis and rain don't mix what if you guys get injured." Fuji stopped smiling,

"I guess this is where it ends, Echizen-kun." Ryoma looked down with a small scowl,

"Not fair, you're winning. 4 – 3. I was going to make a comeback." Sumire hit Ryoma over his head,

"Urusai and get out of the rain."

-**&-**

Hikari walked with Ryoma home as it the rain seemed to get lighter. She shivered as the breeze flew by her.

"You had a game with Fuji-kun, right?" Ryoma nodded,

"Must've been exciting." Ryoma looked at her,

"Where were you?" Hikari opened her mouth and closed it. She repeated that as Ryoma raised an eyebrow at her.

"I-"Suddenly the rain started to pour down, along with a crack of thunder. Hikari let out a shriek as Ryoma quickly grabbed her hand and ran off to a building. The two stopped in front of it and sat on the steps. Another thunder sound was heard as Hikari screamed with it.

"This is so scary!" Hikari had a funny expression on her face as she stood up pacing around. Ryoma looked at her and let out a chuckle.

"You're scared of lightning and thunder?" Hikari nodded as lightning strike again.

"Aren't you!?" Ryoma shook his head, letting the water come out. An extremely loud thunder cracked as lightning strike. Hikari closed her eyes and hugged a wooden pole, using her other hand to cover her eyes. Ryoma gave out a faint smile and grabbed the hand covering her ears.

"Don't worry, Hikari." Hikari looked at Ryoma with wide eyes as he held her hands. The two stared at each other until Ryoma let her hands go and looked up.

"Lightning is only caused by ice particles colliding, and thunder is just a sound wave." Hikari nodded and looked down, slightly blushing.


	22. Chapter 21

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back! **** I know- I know. I've been MIA for like 129380123810923 years. I'm sorry. But I'm a senior now, SO I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TIME. But I'm afraid I forgot where I was going with this story. I'm even afraid I forgot my own writing style. I promised Jem Juliette Jewels Jade I'd finally update a chapter by the end of this month. (You know, college applications are a pain.) I'll try my best to finally finish this story! **** Thank you everyone that's stayed patient with me. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I love writing it! 3**

C a n ' u

Chapter Twenty-One: Trouble

"Ohayo, Minna-san." Hikari yawned right after Kikumaru approached the group.

"Yosh, everyone is here. Let's get going." Everyone nodded and walked through the gates.

"Looks like Fudomine are still missing some members." Hikari's ears perked up. She stood with the rest of her team, trying to figure out if they wanted to watch or practice.

"Eh? Isn't that Ann-chan's school?" Momoshiro face flushed a little.

"Hai, that's where she goes," Hikari nudged Momoshiro.

"Momo-senpai got a crush; Momo-senpai got a cr-"Momoshiro quickly covered up Hikari's mouth before Kikumaru can hear.

"Urusai! Before Kikumaru-senpai hea-"Kikumaru bounced over,

"Eh?! Momo-chan likes someone?! Who? Who?" Hikari laughed as Kikumaru bounced around Momoshiro. Ryoma sighed,

"I wonder if there are any vending machines around." Hikari giggled and took Ryoma's cap.

"Neh neh, you're always thirsty." Ryoma scowled and tried to reach for his hat. Hikari ran away and put the hat on her head. In her best impression she mustered up,

"My name is Echizen Ryoma and I like grape Ponta." Ryoma crinkled his nose and ran after her.

Meanwhile at the Echizen household.

"Moshi Moshi, Echizen resident. Hai, Uncle. It's coach Ryuzaki." Nanjiro's eyes widened a bit,

"Tell her I'm not here." Nanako scowled,

"You can't do that. Just take the phone." Nanjiro sighed,

"Hai, hai. Moshi Moshi. Nanjiro desu." Nanjiro flipped through another page of his magazine.

"It's Ryuzaki, there's a surprise about today's match."

"Ha. Its a hundred years before anything can surprise me. Just spill it." Ryuzaki chuckled,

"We're going against Banji's team." Nanjiro's eye twitched,

"Nani?! Banji?! What the hell is that old geezer still doing there? You wait, I'll be over there!" Ryuzaki pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Eh?" The sound of the other end hanging repeated.

"Sumimasen, we're here." Ann ran towards the group,

"You guys are late!" Tachibana walked over,

"Hurry up and enter. We're late."

"And now we'll begin the first match of the semifinals." Two teams stood before each other. One uniform was green and the other was black.

"Fudomine versus Yamabuki." Hikari scanned the teams and noticed grey hair,

"Akutsu Jin?" Ryoma looked over to Hikari,

"Nani?" Hikaru shook her head,

"Nothing. But isn't that guy the one that…" Hikari's eyes got heavy. She yawned.

"Hai, that is him!" Momoshiro scowled. Kikumaru hugged Hikari,

"Kari-chan, are you tired?" Hikari nodded and rest her head on his shoulders.

"The match is starting, quiet down." Oishi scolded. Ryoma scowled a little,

"I'm going to practice." Momoshiro jumped up,

"I'll come with you!" Kaidou stood up and grabbed his bag. Fuji smiled,

"I guess we're all going." Everyone grabbed their things and walked to a court that wouldn't disrupt the game. Kikumaru waved his hand,

"It's alright; I'll stay here with Kari-chan until she wakes up. Then we'll go practice with you guys."

"One set match. Fudomine's Sakurai to serve."

"Eh?!" Hikari snapped her head up.

"Where am I?!" Kikumaru laughed,

"Don't worry. You just fell asleep." Hikari quickly stood up and flailed her arms around.

"How long was I asleep?!"

"I would say about 10 minutes."

"Eh?! Where is everyone?!" Kikumaru got up and grabbed his and Hikari's bag. He handed it to her.

"They went to practice. Let's go." Hikari nodded,

"Sorry I fell asleep!" Kikumaru laughed and slung his arm around her.

"It's alright!"

"Or did you come to get your balls back?" Hikari looked up to see Ryoma smirking down at a group of guys.

"Echizen. Chotto matte!" Ryoma looked back and saw Hikaru and Kikumaru jogging over. He began walking again,

"Tch, hurry up." Hikari paused for a second,

"Eh…Echizen?"

'What's wrong with him?'

"Without further ado, we'll begin the second game of the semifinals. Seigaku versus Ginka." Hikari stood in a line with the rest of her team, staring straight at the other team.

"Good luck Ryoma-sama!" Tomoko called out.

"Good luck Hikari-chan!" Horio waved his arm around.

"Ginka! Come on, we can do this!" Hikari felt butterflies in her stomach. She felt nervous yet excited.

"We forfeit." Her eyes nearly fell out. Everyone else let out of noise of confusing.

"Our stomach hurts."

"Ginka forfeits, Seigaku wins."

"Why are you guys afraid of the team?" Hikari looked over to see Akutsu smirking.

"There's nothing special about Seigaku." Momoshiro scowled,

"Who the hell does he think he is? That bastard." Oishi grabbed Momoshiro's arm,

"Don't." Momoshiro looked back at Oishi, Akutsu let smirked.

"What's the matter? You piece of shit." Momoshiro shrugged out of Oishi's grip and ran towards Akutsu. Hikari let out a gasp,

"Momo-senpai!" Akutsu looked over to her and smirked. Tezuko crossed his arms,

"Cut it out." Momoshiro stopped running and clenched his fist. He scowled and turned around.

"Yamabuki's Akutsu." Inui pushed up his glasses, trying to recall anything from the Yamabuki team. Akutsu started to walk away,

"Oh and it was nice seeing you again, Hikari-chan." Hikari tilted her head as she walked him walk off.

"You know him, Kari-chan?!" Kikumaru ran over and began questioning Hikari.

"How?!" Hikari smiled sheepishly,

"Maybe not now, Kikumaru-senpai. We have to practice don't we?" Inui's glasses glared,

"Yamabuki. They're our next opponent. Yamabuki has an incredibly strong doubles teams. Last year, both doubles went to nationals. They won both their doubles match."

"Eh?! So they're as good as our Golden Pair." Horio exclaimed.

"Now the final match between Yamabuki and Seigaku will begin."

Hikari nearly flinched at how loud the cheers were.

"Looks like its Fuji-senpai and Takashi-senpai playing." Hikari let out a small smile,

"I hope we win."

"Game and match! Yamabuki! 6-3." Ryuzaki frowned as she saw Takashi and Fuji pant in exhaustion.

'This doesn't seem too good. We're good at singles, but our only good doubles pair is Kikumaru and Oishi.' Ryoma looked over to Hikari,

"I'm going to go get some Ponta." Hikari nodded and stood up,

"I'll come with you."

"This concludes the first match. The 45 minute break will now take place."

Nanjiro adjusted his hat as he walked through the gets. He finally made it to watch the game.

'Damn that old geezer.' He looked around the area and saw two figures underneath a tree, sleeping. Hikari was sound asleep next to his son. While Ryoma had his face covered up with his hat, his arm under Hikari's head. Nanjiro snickered and debated on whether or not he should've taken a picture to send it to his wife.

'That sly son of mine.'


	23. Chapter 22

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

Bold is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thinking

AN: Hey lovelies, sorry I've been on hiatus for so long . . I blame the fact that I have a life that requires my attention 24/7. JK, I have like two jobs so I work like 5 days a week and it's summer break so I'm like going on like 29384092384 vacations all throughout. Idk, I really love this story as crappy as it is. I wish I could go back and rewrite some of it but whateverrrrrrrr I'll try to make it better now. I'm actually a freshman in college now. IKR. ME. A FRESHMEN. IN COLLEGE. WRITING ABOUT TWO FRESHMEN...IN JUNIOR HIGH. Anyone catch my drift? Cause I just farted. LOL jk, anyways I'll be writing at least two regular chapters and I'll be writing Atobe's Gift and that new movie that just came out. I like seriously cannot believe I wrote this when I was a freshmen in my junior high and now it's to the point where I'm a freshmen in COLLEGE. UGH, I need to finish this story but there are like...170+ episodes plus OVA PLUS Nationals. I'm going to be writing this until my daughter is a freshmen in college. _

C a n '

Chapter Twenty-Two: Oishi is Targeted

"**I'm at the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament. I didn't tell you? Well you're in London. Obviously I told Hitomi-chan. Yes, yes. Geez, why are you bothering me so much about it? Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I'll tell you next time. Yes there's going to be a next time. Obaa-sama wants me to do what? I don't want to enter; it's all the way back in England! Look, I'm on my break and I want to enjoy it. I'm going to hang up, we'll talk later. You're coming back in a week or two? Alright, I love you. Bye- no. Bye, uncle." **Ryoma stared at Hikari as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand and held her cell phone with her right. Finally Kunihimi had let her hung up. The two had finally gotten a break and decided to spend it by sitting on the grass and drinking Ponta.

"Sorry about the phone call. Anyways on that math homework, did you get question twenty-four? I don't understand what type of probability it was? Was it a permutation cause-"Ryoma widened his eyes as someone tripped over his leg. Suddenly Hikari felt something warm on her lips and stared at where the eyes of a person would be but instead it was just a green cloth.

"Mmmph!" The pressure suddenly released as the person fell backwards. "I can't see, I can't see!" Hikari just stared at the boy that just stole a kiss from her. He was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts and he had a green bandana covering his eyes.

"It's all dark in front of me, what happened?" The boy sat up and started to panic. "Hey, your bandana came down."

"Huh? Oh. Right, thank you." Ryoma just stared as the boy moved his bandana back up and rubbed his head sheepishly. Hikari stared at the boy and deemed him as innocent instead of a pervert, seeing as he didn't even know his bandana was covering his eyes.

"Are you okay?" The boy turned to Hikari and stared at her chest. 'Eh?! What is he staring at? Is he really a pervert?' Hikari narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something,

"Eh? Are you a student of Seigaku?" Hikari sweat dropped, 'Oh, he was just looking at my shirt.'

She nodded, "Yeah, we both are." The boy looked back and forth at the two, "That's great! I mean- Uh. Are you going to cheer for 'that' guy, too?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow,

"Who?" The boy grinned brightly,

"The freshman regular named Echizen!" Ryoma choked on his Ponta while Hikari stifled a giggle. The boy pumped his first with a determined expression, "He's also a freshman and he's so awesome! I wanted to see him play with my very own eyes." Hikari nudged Ryoma,

"Looks like you have a fan." The boy tilted his head in confusion. "So do you guys know about him?" The boy leaned forward, hoping for some information. Hikari grinned and patted Ryoma's head,

"Yeah, why do you ask?" The boy wiggled excitedly, "Can you tell me about him? Like how tall is he, where did he train, what does he eat-"Hikari chuckled,

"Calm down. We can answer some questions for you." She ruffled Ryoma's hair. "Say," Hikari turned to Ryoma, "Do you know how tall he is?"Ryoma swatted Hikari's hand off and stood up.

"Hn...151 centimetres." Ryoma leaned on the tree as Hikari got up and stared at him, "Really? I'm 145 centimetres." The boy got out a notebook and started scribbling,

"I can't believe that freshman is only 151cm tall. He's not that different than me. I thought he'd be as tall as Akutsu-sempai." Ryoma stared at the boy curiously. The boy looked up and smiled nervously,

"It's nothing." His bandana fell over his eyes again. Hikari stopped the boy and pulled his bandana up.

"There, now you can see. Maybe you should get a smaller-"Hikari stopped and blushed as the boy kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much for helping me"

He moved over to Ryoma and shook his hand. "I can't believe that Seigaku's freshman regular is that small." Ryoma just stared, "You're in the tennis club, too?" The boy smiled,

"Yeah, sort of. I'm not a player, I'm the manager." Ryoma hummed curiously as the boy looked down and rubbed his head, "I'm too small to play." Hikari patted his head. "Hey, don't worry about height-"

"Ryoma-kun! Hika-chan!" Hikari stared as Inoue and Shiba walked towards them. "I can't believe you two are relaxing at a place like this."

The boy tilted his head, 'Ryoma?' Ryoma stood up and put on his jacket. The boy stared at the back of the regular's jacket reading the word, Seigaku. Hikari stood up and brushed the dirt off her skirt. She took the white cap off her head and placed it back on Ryoma's. The boy blinked in recognition.

"Actually, it's not that surprising seeing that this pair always goes off to relax and drink their favourite drink." Inoue took another picture of the two.

Shiba shook her head at the two, "If you don't hurry the match with Oishi and them will start." Hikari nodded, "Okay."

Ryoma turned around and smirked at the boy, "Tennis is all about height, right?"

The boy stared as Ryoma and Hikari walked away.

"Long time no see, Oishi-kun." Oishi narrowed his eyes.

"One set match, Yamabuki's Minami to serve."

Hikari sat in between Fuji and Momoshiro. "Is there a rivalry between them?" Fuji turned to her with his regular look, a smile with his eyes closed. "Saa, who knows?" Hikari sweat dropped,

"That doesn't really help." Hikari turned her focus back to the match.

"30-love." The match was really intense seeing the double pairs rally back and forth.

"Doesn't it seem like Oishi-senpai is being targeted?" Horio spoke loudly to his friends. Hikari stared at the trio,

"You're right; it's an all out attack on Oishi-senpai!" Hikari turn her attention back to the game and noticed that all the shots were only going to Oishi.

"Game for Yamabuki, 1-0."

Hikari could only watch as Oishi panted in exhaustion. The other team returned the ball and finally Kikumaru got a chance to play. He began to run towards the ball when suddenly Oishi turned around,

"Don't move, Eiji!" Kikumaru stopped in confusion and watched as Oishi ran towards the ball. Oishi grunted as he returned the ball

Hikari groaned and held her head, "What's going on, Fuji-senpai?" "The attacking pattern..." Hikari turned to face him, "Huh?"

"Last year, Oishi played the same pair. He lost to them. They have this attacking pattern where they target one person."

"So what happens?" "Well naturally, the partner will try to help their other partner. It draws the partner away and collapses the formation." Everyone listened in and Horio asked the question that was on everyone's mind,

"So what can Oishi-senpai and Eiji-senpai do?"

"The only thing they can do is remain calm and have Oishi counter it." Oishi turned around, dragging his racquet on the floor and returned the ball.

"Moon volley!" The ball went behind the Yamabuki pair,

"15-love!" Oishi grinned and high fived Kikumaru. "Nice one, Oishi." He turned around and stared back at his opponents

"Did you really think you could win with last year's tactic?"  
_

Tezuka continued to watch the match, "Momoshiro, you should warm up." Momoshiro turned and grinned, "Yes! I'm going to break out." He turned around and began walking towards his tennis bag.

"Hey, Mr. Arrogant." Momoshiro stopped and turned. "What did you say?" Kaidoh smirked, "You better warm up properly."

"Tch, you should mind your own business." Momoshiro walked away as Kaidoh hissed. Fuji chuckled,

"Their way of encouraging each other is always so rough." Hikari stared at Fuji, "What do you mean?"

"Because of their rivalry, they constantly challenge each other to do better." Horio hummed in understanding,

"Game to Seigaku, 1-1." Cheers were heard as the golden pair gave each other another high five.

Suddenly Yamabuki's coach began grunting. Ryuzaki got up and ran over, " Banjii, are you okay?!" Banjii doubled over in pain and looked back up and stuck out his tongue,

"Just kidding." Ryuzaki groaned and pinched his cheeks, "Banjii! Don't joke around like that." Pinching the bridge of her nose she waved her hand to the umpire, "Sorry, sorry. Please continue."

Hikari giggled staring at the two coaches banters. "Hn." Ryoma grunted and looked away with a scowl. Hikari turned to him, "Hmm? Something wrong?" Ryoma stayed silent.

"Did something happen?" Feeling someone's stare, Hikari looked in that direction. Akutsu Jin was staring right in her direction with a smirk. Hikari blushed at the sudden attention and nervously waved her hand.

"Game, set, and match for Seigaku. 7-5." Cheers and shouts were heard as the double players shook hand.

Momoshiro unzipped his jacket and walked on the court. "We'll now start the 3rd singles match between Yamabuki and Seigaku." Hikari recognised Momoshiro's opponent being the orange haired guy from before.

"Sorry I'm not Echizen." The ginger smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. You're Momoshiro-kun, right? With the dunk smash?" Momoshiro narrowed his eyes as the Umpire called out,

"Please decide to serve." Momoshiro spun his racquet, "Which?" "I'll serve." Momoshiro stared at him, "You can decide that after you get it right." His opponent grinned. "I'll get it. I've never missed before. I'll take rough. "

The racquet stopped and landed slightly on the net. Momoshiro smirked, 'Yes, it's going to be smooth.' The racquet slid,

"See? It's rough." Momoshiro scowled,

"I'll give the serve to you." Inui pushed up his glasses,

"I see why he's called 'Lucky Sengoku." Everyone turned to him, "Eh?" Inui nodded.

Ryoma smirked and hummed, "Lucky Sengoku, ne?"

The umpire raised his hand,

"Let's the game between Yamabuki's Sengoku and Seigaku's Momoshiro, begin!"


	24. Prince of Tennis: Eikoku-shiki Teikyū-jō

Disclaimers: I don't own prince of tennis. I only own my characters.

Prince of tennis © Takeshi Konomi

Can't Stop Thinking Of You © iSPAZZMACHiiN3

**Bold** is English.

_Italics_ are used to emphasize something, or signify a flash back or lyrics to a song.

"Blah." Those quotes are used for talking.

'Blah.' Those are used for thing

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the hiatus, so here's a little treat for you all! Yup, you guessed it! Another Prince of Tennis Movie Special **

C a n '

Special Movie Edition

Prince Of Tennis –** Eikokushiki Teikyuu Shiro Kessen**

Hikari brushed the fallen strand of hair off her face. Her focus remained on the passing figures and objects. She felt herself sway with the bus's motion. 'I guess I'm back home.' She stared at the random people that walked the streets of London.

"Hey! Don't you dare- I'LL KILL YOU." Hikari glanced over and saw Momoshiro and Kikumaru indulging themselves in their gaming device. She looked at the rest of the bus and saw that Oishi, Takeshi, and Fuji were also participating.

"HAHAHAHA, take that blue shell!" Kikumaru was laughing in triumph while Momoshiro seemed to have a dark cloud above his head. Suddenly the red head's smile dropped, "Eh?! Second place?! Who's player number 5?!" Kikumaru furiously looked around and stopped to see Fuji chuckled,

"Eh?! How?!" Hikari sweat dropped and turned her attention to her captain and fellow snake like teammate, who were silently reading their selective books. Inui was seated right across from them and was scribbling something down on his notebook. 'Figures, when is Inui-senpai never not writing.' Finally she looked at the person seated beside her. His hair was messily covering his eyes, which were closed, and his position seem slumped to the right as he slept.

"We've arrived, minna-san! Grab your stuff!" Ryuzaki-sensei was holding a map and other brochures.

"Echizen-kun, wake up." Hikari nudged him and he woke up. "Nani?"

"We're here."

Ryoma walked besides his team. Hikari groaned tugged on her pink bow,

"Why are we in our uniforms?" Momoshiro grinned and grabbed her in a head lock, "Because you look so cute in it!" Hikari scowled, "Momo-senpai, get off me! You're messing up my hair." The team walked into a large stadium.

"So this is Wimbledon's centre court." Hikari stared in awe at the huge tennis courts in between. "The holy land of tennis players that's seen so many legends."

Kikumaru turned to Oishi, "I wish we get to play here one day!" Inui scoffed, "This is used only for the finals. We must surpass some hurdles if we want to come here." Tezuka nodded, "What's starting tomorrow is...a tournament where junior players are given a chance to shine." The team began walking back,

"And to the tournament, you were chosen as one of Japan's representatives." The team burst into different side chats.

Ryuzaki frowned and crossed her arms. She turned to Hikari, "Although in this tournament, it's strictly males only." Hikari gave an awkward smile, "It's okay, and I don't mind watching." Ryuzaki put a hand on her shoulder, "The world's not ready for change, sorry Hikari-chan." Hikari waved her hand, "No, no. It's fine. It's like visiting home. Is it alright if I visit some friends at school?" Ryuzaki nodded, "That's fine. Just know there is a curfew."

Hikari bumped into Ryoma's back. 'Ouch.' She rubbed her nose and looked up to see Hyotei's own tennis team.

"At least you're the most eager to play." Atobe smirked. Ryoma stared at the group of people,

"So you're here too?" Oshitari turned to Atobe, "You transferred from here when in elementary school, didn't you?" Atobe stared at Hikari,

"I'm not the only one that's from here." Oshitari chuckled, "Does Wimbledon bring back memories?" Atobe smirked and brushed his hair, "What I'm imagining is how by winning I'm to become the King of the World."

A yell was heard, "Koshimae!" Everyone turned around to see a boy with red hair throw himself on Ryoma. Ryoma grunted and took a step back from the impact. The boy released his gripped and stared at Ryoma with glittery eyes,

"I missed you, Koshimae!" Everyone stared as the boy began to shake Ryoma back and forth, "Being able to play at Wimbledon seems like a dream, doesn't it?! I'm super excited to be here!"

"Come on now, you're being too excited..." Everyone's attention turned to the nexcomers,

"It's Shitenjouji-nya!"

"Tarundoru!" The attention shifted to another group of people. "You're here as Japan's representative, put some spirit into it!" Momoshiro grinned, "Rikkai." Kikumaru smiled and put his arms behind his head,

"It seems like everyone's here!" The red headed boy stared back and forth between all the teams, "I feel a tension..."

"We're all different tournament opponents. All here for victory." Ryoma smirked,

"Though I'm the one here to beat you all."

"So there are two rooms. One for the girls and one for the boys, the boys' room will obviously be bigger while the girls will be a two bedroom room. We will be training at the tennis courts. No, it's not ours. We will be sharing with the rest of the junior high opponents. We all have a curfew of when to be back, unless you're at the tennis courts. If you're training after hours, that's fine. But for Hikari-chan, I want you to be back before it gets dark." Hikari raised her eyebrows,

"Like before the street lights turn on?" Ryuzaki nodded, "You're still a girl and it's dangerous." Hikari wiggled her nose, "I've lived here all my life before I moved to Seigaku, and I know this place." Ryuzaki shook her head, "Regardless, things may have changed and I refuse to take the risk." Hikari bowed, "Hai, Ryuzaki-sensei." The group split up and went to their rooms.

Hikari sighed and stared out at the balcony, the birds were just beginning to chirp. Ryuzaki frowned, "You can still practise with the boys, you know?" Hikari shook her head. "No it's fine. I think I'll go visit Royal Academy and Hikaru-kun." "Hai, hai. The boys and I will be training at the tennis courts. Remember to check in with me at every three hours." Hikari nodded and answered the phone.

"Hai, Watari-san. You're here? I'll be on my way down." Hikari stood up and grabbed her bag,

"Ryuzaki-sensei, I'll be back!" Ryuzaki watched as Hikari walked out the door.

Hikari walked out of the hotel and saw Watari standing in front of a black car. "Hikari-sama." He opened the door for her,

"Where to?" Hikari fastened her seatbelt,

"Royal Academy."

Hikari stared at the school, 'Huge as always...' She walked into the first building and went to the main office.

"**Hi, I'm-**"The office lady stood up,

"**Hikari! How pleasant it is to see you again! Do you want me to get you Hikaru?**" Hikari smiled and shook her head.

"**I'll find him later, I was just wondering if I could get a visitor's pass?**" The lady smiled and went to her desk, "**You know you don't need one. But if you insist.**" She handed Hikari a badge. "**It'd be lovely if you could visit more! The school is not the same without you.**" Hikari thanked her and walked out.

The school was huge, as expected from a prestigious academy. It only accepted those who were extremely gifted or those who were wealthy, or both. The school had at least four main buildings, all surrounding a huge clock tower and water fountain. Each building was huge; it was practically the size of a regular school and had different grade levels in each. The buildings were called; A,B,C,D. D being the lowest grade and A being the highest grades. It had a kindergarten class, grades 1-5 class, grades 6-9 class, and grades 10-12 class. The middle of the surrounding building is usually where the students eat lunch. There were many statues of famous musicians and all sorts of mini gardens. Hikari walked towards building A when suddenly she felt an impact on her back.

"**Hikari! What are you doing here?!**" Hikari laughed as Hikaru shook her shoulders. "**I'm here with my team, there's a tournament going on at Wimbledon.**" Hikaru stared at her, "**Shouldn't you be practising?**" Hikari pouted, "**No. I can't, it's an all-male tournament.**" Hikaru patted her head, "**That's brilliant! You can spend your time here with your best mate.**" Hikari blushed and pushed his hand off,

"**My mum really missed you, even though she got to go visit you more than I did.** **She's mad, I tell you.**" The two began to walk around the school.

"**Are you hungry? We can go to your favourite restaurant!**" Hikari chuckled, "**What about school?**" "**School can wait! I'm excited to spend the day with you, will you be visiting more?**" Hikari nodded, "**I'll be spending my free time with you.**" Hikaru beamed, "**Great! I'll call my driver.**" Hikaru grabbed his phone and Hikari looked around the streets. Normal people were walking around, doing their own thing. She checked her watch and saw it was 3pm, "**Let me call my coach, Hikaru.**" Hikaru nodded and continued talking on the phone.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, it's me, Hikari-chan. I'm currently at Royal Academy but I'm leaving to go eat with Hikaru-kun. Hai. Hai. You finished training them? What are you doing then? Oh! You're about to go to the springs? I'm sorry. Where will the team be? Different tennis courts? So not at the hotel? Hai. Hai. I'll be waiting for your text message. Thank you, I'll call you in three hours. Ja ne!" Hikaru tugged on Hikari's arm, "**Come on, the car is here!**"

Hikari laughed as Hitomi grabbed Hikaru in a headlock and noogied his head. "**Your mum just owned you!**" The three were sitting at the dinner table at the Yamabuzuki compound. Hikaru puffed and crossed his arms, "**Whatever mate, shouldn't you be heading out soon? The sun is setting.**" Hikari looked out the window and nodded, "**Thank you so much for the meal, Hitomi-chan.**" Hitomi gushed, "**No problem dear, you're like a daughter to me! I love cooking food for you.**" Hikaru rolled his eyes, "**What about me, mum? Why don't you ever cook for me?**"

"**Unlike you, Hikari's my favourite.**" Hikaru pouted, "**So what will the cooks do?**" Hitomi pinched Hikaru's cheeks. "**Shut up, you little rascal.**" Hikaru groaned and pushed away his mom's hand.

Hikari wiped her mouth and stood up. "**I'll be heading out, Watari should be outside.**" She bowed and suddenly stepped back, Hitomi clung to Hikari. "**Come back tomorrow, dear! I'll cook your favourite!** **Or we can bake! Oh, yes! Come early and we'll bake some pastries!**" Hikari smiled and hugged her back. "**Of course, mum.**" Hitomi squeeled and squeezed her tighter, "**Oh honey! Call me mum again!**" Hikaru groaned and pried his mom off of Hikari. "**Mum, let go! She has to go.**" Hitomi let go and hit her son. "**Go walk her to the car!**" "**I was going to do that anyways!**" Hikaru grabbed Hikari's wrist and walked off.

"**So...**" Hikari and Hikaru stood outside as Watari walked out and opened the door. "**Tomorrow, yeah?**" Hikari nodded, "**I'll call or text you**." Hikari began walking towards the car. Watari greeted her and closed the door.

"Where to, Hikari-sama?" Hikari grabbed out her phone, "This is the address. Did you bring my tennis stuff?" "Yes, Hikari-sama." Hikari beamed and gave him the thumbs up. "Alright! Can you roll the window up so I can change?" Watari nodded and the window rolled up. "Certainly."

"We've arrived," Hikari sat in her tennis uniform and grabbed her tennis bag. "Thanks Watari-san! I can walk to the courts!" Watari opened the door and tipped his hat. "Stay safe, Hikari-sama."

Hikari began wondering around the courts. Noticing the street lights began to turn on, she grabbed her phone and punched in some digits.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, I'm at the tennis courts with the team. So don't worry. Hai, we'll come back soon. Bye." Hikari hung up and continued walking, 'It's really quiet, is there anyone even here?' There was a rustling sound and Hikari turned around. 'Eh? What was that?' Scared, she began walking faster.

"The one who wins this rally buys the juice!" 'Momo-senpai's voice?' Hikari sighed in relief and jogged towards the court. Momoshiro and Ryoma were rallying. Ryoma smirked, "Challenged accepted!" Hikari walked towards the two, waving.

"Hey guys!" Ryoma's expression dropped and looked over at Hikari. Momoshiro's return passed him. Momoshiro grinned,

"Nice! Hikari-chan distracted you? Thanks for the juice!" Momoshiro cheered and fist bumped.

"Hikari!" Ryoma jumped over the net and towards Hikari. Hikari dropped her bag in shock. Momoshiro stopped cheering as the lights turned off,

"Eh?" Ryoma grabbed Hikari to his chest and hit two tennis balls that were spiralling towards her with his racquet.

"What's going on?!" Hikari's eyes widened as they were suddenly surrounded by people in red uniforms. Momoshiro narrowed his eyes,

"Who the heck are you?!" Ryoma released Hikari as Balls began flying over to them at an alarming rate. Hikari scrambled to open her tennis bag and get her racquet. Suddenly the trio was just returning each ball. One anonymous member chuckled and stepped forward. Ryoma smirked,

"Are you the leader?" The guy served the ball. Ryoma pushed Hikari out of the way and received it, 'So heavy...' Ryoma grunted and tried to return the ball. Hikari fell to the floor and watched as the ball drove into the racquet, breaking the strings and denting the ground. Ryoma's eyes widened as the impact flung him on Hikari.

"Omph!" Hikari grunted as she softened his fall.

"Echizen!" Momoshiro ran and jumped over the two, "Look up!" Momoshiro fell to the floor, taking the balls impact. Ryoma stood up,

"Momo-senpai!" Suddenly another member jumped, ready to attack the two. Ryoma covered Hikari, waiting for the impact. A ball being returned was heard, the two peered over to see a brunette with a racquet in his hands. The ball flew towards the 'leader' and he caught it. He stepped out the shadows, glaring at the new comer. It was an American with blonde hair.

"How dare you, traitor 'Xiu'?" Xiu stared back at the leader.

"Keith...you're playing dirty as usual." Ryoma grabbed Hikari's arm and pulled her up. Another member stepped out the shadow, revealing a tanned skinned purple haired male.

"Shouldn't you be begging for your life, Xiu?" Xiu turned to him, "You step back, Peter." Peter growled, "What did you just say?" Keith narrowed his eyes,

"Is that supposed to be your sense of justice? You'll regret it later." Xiu smirked, "How so?"

"I'll beat you so you'll never grip a racquet again." Hikari shivered at the emotionless expression on Keith's face.

"How fitting. I was just thinking of saying the same thing. I'll beat your body until its breaking point so that you'll never play tennis."

"It seems as long as the other doesn't disappear, there'll be no end to this."

"Unfortunately, the other has to go." Keith grunted and threw a ball up,

"The one that has to disappear," Keith served the ball, "Is you!" Xiu quickly reacted and returned a ball of his own. The balls collided, creating a small explosion. Ryoma gripped Hikari's hand,

"Koshimae!" Everyone turned over to the voice.

"Seems like you escaped death this time, kid." Ryoma narrowed his eyes at Keith as he walked away. "Ugh," Ryoma turned to Momoshiro,

"Momo-senpai." Hikari looked around noticed it was just them three again.

"Echizen! Momo!" A group of people ran over.

Tezuka walked over to Hikari, "Are you okay?" Hikari remained silent. Tezuka grabbed her swollen wrists. "I fell on my wrist due to the impact of the ball." Which was kind of truthful, she fell when Ryoma pushed her down and she landed on her wrist. But when Ryoma fell on her, it added too much sudden pressure. Everyone remained silent, shock to the events that just happened.

"Luckily all they got were slight injuries. They'll be released tomorrow." Ryuzaki stood in the hospital room with the rest of the team. Momoshiro lied in one bed, snoring as loud as a bear. While Hikari was on the bed next to him, slightly sitting up. Flowers were all over the room with other get well gifts. Tezuka stood up, "Let's leave and give Hikari-san time to rest." Everyone nodded and said their farewells.

Ryoma lingered last and just stared at Hikari. She twitched nervously and crossed her arms.

"What?" Ryoma just stared and Hikari could swear she was going to die from anxiety. After a few moments Ryoma finally decided to speak.

"Your wrist...was it when I fell on you?" Hikari stayed silent and gave a nervous smile. "Ahh...that? Don't worry about it." Ryoma just continued to stare at her. Hikari sighed, "Don't you have any respect? Let the injured sleep!" Hikari slumped down and closed her eyes. She left a small pressure on her left side but continued to pretend to sleep. She heard the sound of a door closing and she finally opened one eye. She looked down and saw a tube of ointment. She chuckled and opened the tube to apply some on her wrist. 'Baka...'

Ryoma stood with around a table with each school's team. "But won't enetering the tournament like this be difficult?"

"At a minimum, they're not fit to enroll." "And it's not only Japan, it seems like other players from other countries have been targeted."

"All we know is that they're around our age and they were wearing silver rings." Inui nodded,

"Anyway, with people getting hurt here, it's no laughing matter. The captains and coaches are currently reporting this to the tournament organisers. On top of that, the police are likely to get involved." Ryoma looked down, 'Momo-senpai and Hikari-san...'

"Un," Ryoma gave out a small noise of surprise when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. He looked up and stared at Takeshi, who smiled at him.

"It's not your fault that Momo and Hikari-chan got like that." Ryoma looked up and gave a small smile. Kaidoh hissed and punched his palm,

"As if we can leave it to the police?! I'll seek them out and beat the crap out of them!"

"How pretty, revenge for the sake of your friends? " Everyone turned to the source of the voice. It was a brunette walking towards the group, clapping.

"Being brave is fine, but...your opponents really aren't people you can take revenge on. Don't get close to them."

"Where did you come from?!" Xiu smirked, "I'm telling you to play nice and just train for the tournament. "Ryoma eyes widened, recognising him as the same guy from last night.

"You're from last night." Fuji stared at the ring on Xiu's hand "The ring on your left hand..." Kaidoh growled and started walking towards him,

"That was YOU?! The one who beat up Momoshiro and Hikari-san?!" Echizen stopped Kaidoh, "Senpai, you're wrong. He's the one that saved us last night." Xiu shrugged, "On meddling. I'll warn you once more: Don't get close to them." Kaidoh shrugged off Ryoma's hand,

"I can't do that!" Oishi stepped up, "Kaidoh, stop it." Xiu chuckled and looked at Fuji, "Can I borrow that?"

"The racquet?"

Ryoma stared at the two players on the court, Kaidoh and Xiu. "At least understand that if you can't beat me, taking revenge is a dream within a dream." Kaidoh scowled, "I'll put a stop to that impudent talk of yours."

Everyone continued to watch, trying to figure out why Kaidoh kept hitting out. Inui pushed up his glasses,

"I figured it out." "Why does he stop his racquet?"

"It's not his racquet stopping. Before he hits the real ball, a fluke ball is hit, messing with his timing." Kikumaru tilted his head,

"Eh? A fluke ball?" "He collects air...and fires that at the opponent just before the real ball."

Xiu stood still on the court, "Gemini." Ryoma raised his eyebrows, "Gemini?" Inui nodded,

"I see, Gemini. The 'twin player' form." Kaidoh fell to his knees and grunted in frustration. Ryoma jumped down to the court,

"Let's play." The two began to play. Xiu hit over the ball, adding a fluke ball. Ryoma winded back and began to swing, but then flipped his racquet before hitting the ball. Fuji smiled, "He seems to have let the first ball pass through." Kikumaru cheered, "O'chibi returned the ball!"

Ryoma smirked, "Mada mada dane."

It was Ryoma's turn to serve.

"Un!" Ryoma grunted as he served and stared as Xiu stood still, letting ball pass.

"My name is Ling Xiu. What's your name?"

"Echizen Ryoma." Xiu smirked, "Thanks, I had fun." And he walked off. Kaidoh ran after him, "No, play me again." "Kaidoh, stand down." Kaidoh stared as Tezuka walked with the rest of the captains. Tezuka stood in front of Xiu,

"How much do you know about the bunch from last night? I think we have a right to know." Xiu closed his eyes,

"It's the Clack. It's a street tennis group that knows the London streets well. They had a pretty good reputation. Truthfully, they are a group of tennis players that beat people up. They're problematic players kicked out of schools and clubs, players that have lost the right to officially play. And their leader is Keith. He was a genius player who was said could do anything in the world of tennis. Clack has turned up in British tennis clubs and schools...just to beat their opponents over and over again. And within them, there are people that use real tennis balls to severely damage their opponents during play."

"Real tennis ball, what is that?"

"To put it simply, they're the roots for the tennis today. The ball is a structure of cork, stones, etc wrapped inside a cloth. Unlike the current ball, it was power."

Xiu nodded, "Keith's next target is the tournament that starts tomorrow in Wimbledon. They do smashing the noses of prominent players to make them lose self confidence. In short, to get them out of the tournament."

"Can I ask you something, judging by that ring and uniform, you're one of them, no? Why did you help the kid, then?" Ryoma scowled as Xiu closed his eyes,

"I...left the Clack." Oishi stepped up, "You're not a member right now?" Oshitari raised an eyebrow, "To be a member of the Clack...you're not able to enter the tournament either?"

"For now...that's how it is." "Do you know where the Clack is now?" "The King of Kingdom. There's a castle that's called that."

"Why don't you tell the police about this?" Xiu furrowed his eyebrows,

"I refuse." "Why?! Is it cause they're your friends?"

"Cause the Clack is going down by me."

"**Sorry I can't come over today. I'm at the hospital- Ahh. No, no. Don't worry mum, I'm fine. Just a sprain wrist. Yeah, I was playing tennis. Silly me. No, you don't need to visit. I'm being released tomorrow. I don't know if I can visit, I think I need to cheer on my team. The tournament is coming soon. I understand, I promise to visit at least once more before I leave. Yes, love you too. I'll stay safe. Bye!**" Hikari sighed and hung up the phone.

"You have an accent in your English," Hikari turned to Momoshiro with a surprised face. "Were you talking to your mum?"

"No, just a family friend. You're awake, Momo-senpai! Thank you...for protecting Echizen-kun and I..." He grinned and scratched his head. "You're my kouhais, how can I not?" Hikaru shook her head, "No! That was really brave of you. I promise to cook you a very delicious meal one day!" Momoshiro beamed, "Okay! Say...where is everyone?" Hikari shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I'm not even sure what's going on either. Why were we attacked?" Momoshiro reached over and patted her head,

"Whatever happens, know that your senpais will protect you." Hikari grinned,

"So...where the heck is everyone?"

"What do you mean, 'gone'? Ryuzaki-sensei!" Hikari's gripped tightened on her phone. Momoshiro grabbed the phone and put it on speaker,

"Ryuzaki-sensei..." A sigh was heard on the other line, "I don't know where they gone. I think they went to go find the attackers, something about kings in kings or whatever." "Eh? What does that mean?" "Momo, Hikari-chan. I have to hang up. I need to talk to the police right now." The line ended. Hikari rubbed her head,

"King in kings? Did she mean the King of Kingdom? Atobe's castle?" Momoshiro stared bewildered, "You know the monkey king like that?" Hikari shrugged,"We've met a couple times when we were younger- but anyways. I know how to get there. Want to ride a jet ski with me?" Momoshiro grinned, "You own a Jet Ski?" Hikari rolled her eyes, "I'll call Watari-san."

The two stood at the dock, "So how do you work this?" Hikari got on the Jet Ski and put on some goggles. "It's like a motorcycle; just follow me Momo-senpai!" He shrugged and got on the Jet Ski. "Banzai!" Momoshiro cheered as he flew across the water.

"Whoa, that's a huge castle." Momoshiro and Hikari stood before the castle, "Come on, Atobe and I used to play here all the time. I know the secret passage ways." The two began walking in the underground tunnel, "You seem close with Atobe, and you don't want Echizen to find out." Hikari blushed and punch Momoshiro, "Urusai, it's not like that! Now let's climb this ladder..." The two climbed up the ladder and Momoshiro removed the heavy lid. He popped his head out and whispered, "The coast is clear, let's head out." Hikari threw her and Momoshiro's tennis bag out and crawled out. "...Momo-senpai?" Momoshiro hummed, "I don't know where to go?" He sweat dropped, "Let's search around."

"It's been like half an hour and we've gotten nowhere Hika-chan..." Hikari wiped the sweat off her brow, "Let's try going through this corridor."

"Un!" "Ha!" "Unf!" "Ugh!" Grunts were heard as the two got closer and saw Ryoma going against Keith.

"Echizen!" Everyone stared at the newcomers. Peter growled, "How did you two get in here?" Keith smirked, "Let's continue, squirt." The two began rallying again. Everything got silent as Keith began to wind up a powerful shot. Hikari felt her heart drop,

"RYOMA!" She dropped everything and ran towards him.

"Ugh!" Hikari pushed Ryoma took the impact the ball, flinging back into wall. Xiu stood with his eyes wide open, "You...you completed _it_? The Bio-Magnetism."

"Hikari!" Ryoma ran over to Hikari. "I got her, don't worry Echizen." Momoshiro slung Hikari's arm over his shoulder and dragged her off the courts. Echizen scowled and walked back on the court.

Keith smirked. "15-0." The two began rallying again until Keith used his Bio-Magnetism, sending Ryoma to the wall again. "Stop using that move, Keith!" Xiu ran over to Ryoma. "How foolish of you, to bet your own tennis career on the sake of an outsider. Just run away already." Ryoma grunted and stood up,

"I won't run away." He smirked and wiped his mouth, "It just got interesting." Keith scowled, "I'll make sure you'll never play tennis again," and served another ball. Ryoma returned the ball as Keith charged for another Bio-Magnetism. Ryoma grinned and slid on the ground, dodging the attack.

"Unf!" He returned the ball and got ready as Keith charged up for another one. Ryoma grabbed his hat and spun around again, successfully dodging the air.

"Unf!" Ryoma grinned as the ball was embedded into the solid ground.

"That was pretty simple." Keith glared at him and charged up for a serve,

"I'll end you." Ryoma widened his eyes at the huge charge up, Keith released the serve,

"Bow to death!" Ryoma hit the ground in pain. Xiu growled,

"Stop it, Keith! This isn't our tennis style." Hikari groaned and sat up. Momoshiro helped her up, "Momo-senpai?" He shook his head, "It'll be okay, Echizen...he can do this." Hikari looked around frantically until she spotted the Ryoma sprawled on the ground.

"Ryoma-kun!" She tried to get up but Momoshiro pushed her down,

"The game left the opponent deaf and blind. And the only one who made his play style a problem was you. We were kicked out of our tennis club...and any other club refused to take us in. And we were exiled from the tennis world. That was the end of our tennis. If you stray from the path...you can only fall. You can never rise to the surface again. How worthless...what you did with Clack was..." Xiu clenched his first. Keith turned around, "I forgot."

"You fell behind, to protect me. We were an amazing doubles pair! Because those opponents were targeting me during the match...And with Clack- because I thought I couldn't leave you alone- I thought falling with you was for our sake. But I was wrong."

"Keith, let's start over, fresh!" Keith stared blankly at Xiu, "Start what afresh?"

Ryoma stood back up, "Say you, isn't that just you trying to be timid?" Hikari shook her head, 'Why does he always provoke them?'

Keith scowled, "Persistent brat, aren't you?"

Ryoma smirked, "Here we go." He served and Keith returned with a Bio-Magnetism. Ryoma looked up and charged up. Keith's eyes widened, "Don't tell me..."

Ryoma pointed his racquet at Keith, "15-0." "Don't tell me he managed to copy the Bio-Magnetism in such a short time." Keith straightened up, "So naive. You're instinctively playing to your utmost limits. Did you come to save your friends?" Keith clenched the ball in his hand, "Friendship, is it? To have a bond with a comrade. There's no meaning to things like that." Keith threw the ball up and served and the two began rallying. The rest of those who was attacked came towards the scene. "Tezuka! Fuji-senpai!" Tezuka and Fuji ran over to Hikari and Momoshiro. "What happened...?" Hikari waved her hands, "Don't worry-" "Echizen! What are you doing?!" Everyone turned their attention back to the scene to see Ryoma charging up a Bio-Magnetism,

"Bio-Magnetism...?" Xiu stared as the ball hit the wall, successfully tearing it down. The place began to rumble. "No, the air was not concentrated on the front...but collected to the back to accelerate the ball?" Ryoma glared at Keith, "Hey you, are you playing seriously?" Keith smirked and switched his racquet to his left hand. Keith served and the ball flew past Ryoma. Ryoma widened his eyes and smirked. The next serve he returned the ball and the two began rallying air shots. Ryoma smashed the ball and Keith's racquet flew out of his left hand. The match continued, continuously rallying back and forth. The ball flew past Keith and he stopped and smirked,

"You sure are amazing; I didn't think there be such an amazing guy." He turned and looked at Xiu, "I remember now, Xiu. Our tennis." The two continued to rally.

"But it's too late now. I can't resurface now." Fuji narrowed his eyes at the two rallying, "Using his left hand as a receiver, he's sealing the power of the air." Xiu grinned, "You haven't forgotten at all, have you?" Ryoma began yelling as he charged up for another shot. Hikari stood up and stared, "Ryoma!" Ryoma released the shot as Xiu came running towards the ball. Hikari covered her eyes as a big explosion was created. Coughing, she opened it to see Xiu protecting Keith.

"I won't let you run away alone. I don't mind not being able to play in official matches, as long as I'm with you." Xiu and Keith stared at each other. Peter clung onto Keith, "You look so tattered." And the three hugged each other and laughed. Hikari stood near Ryoma, smiling at moment.

Ryoma turned to them and smirked, "Mada mada dane." He closed his eyes and swayed on Hikari.

"Ryoma? Are you alright?" Hikari held onto Ryoma worriedly. He looked up at her,

"I was fine on my own, you know. I think the question is if you're alright?" Hikari took Ryoma's cap. "Shut up," The sound of helicopter hovering over got everyone's attention. Hikari looked up to see Hikaru, Hitomi, and the rest of the Seigaku members waving down on the helicopter. Hikari nudged Ryoma,

"You know, Ryoma. We have them too. Bonds." Ryoma stared at Hikari. Hikari flushed, "Stop staring at me like that!" Ryoma chuckled and pulled his cap down on her face.

Hikari sat with Ryuzaki, Hitomi, and Hikaru at the tennis courts. "**So...we're still playing the tournament?**" Hikari laughed and punched Hikaru, "**Yes, dummy**." Hikaru shook his head, **"How is it that every time you go on vacation you manage to put yourself in danger and destroy something?**" Hikari grinned. "**It's just part of my charm**." Hikaru pointed at her wrist, "**That thing- is casted because of your **_**charm**_**.**" Hikari shrugged, **"Happens**." Hikaru growled, "**Why you little-**"

"Geez, they really kept us in suspense." Ryuzaki scowled and crossed her arms. Standing next to her were the other coaches.

"Isn't that just fine?" Ryuzaki stared in disbelief, "Eh?"

"I mean, the players came back uninjured." Ryuzaki shook her head and turned to Hikari. "They're having a petition you know?" "Eh?"

"Yeah, in order to let the Clack members play officially. The captains of every team here are going through the legalities now. " Hikari grinned, "That's great!" Hikari searched the courts for her team. "Oh! There they are!" She waved at them. "Oi!"The team looked over and smiled.

Ryoma walked over, hands in his pockets. "**Are you okay?**" Hikari raised her eyebrows, "**What do you take me for? This cast is nothing!**" Ryoma shook his head. "**I don't need you protecting me,**"

Hikari sighed, "**I'll protect who's important to me.**" Ryoma's cheeks tinted pink and he opened his mouth to say something,

"Echizen! Get back over here, we need to start." Hikari smiled,

"**Just go! Beat them all for me, okay?**" Ryoma smirked,

"Mada mada dane."


End file.
